Legacy
by logan
Summary: sakura must face a new challenge which could cost her life.to defeat the legacy of the clow cards she must unite with syaoran to find the solution to a curse that started hundreds of years ago,and unlocks the true origin of the clowcards. sakura & syaoran
1. Shadows and Solitude

Disclaimer. I don't own anything except this story a few characters I am inventing and the evil spellchecker that will most likely miss a ton of typos. This is my first ccs fic... gulp. It may be a bit confusing with some of the magic stuff. I was trying to show how they can see into the spirit world and feel auras etc. fun to write, hopefully tolerable to read. This fic takes place years after the second ccs movie. Just so you know I like blending the Japanese and English names at times. So Tomoyo is Madison and Sakura's last name is Avalon. (Just cause I like these names more then the Japanese ones.) Hmm.... well I think that is all that I need to warn you about. I've done a few ccs pics, but fics are definitely the more challenging of the two... I really hope you like this story, it's my first card captor Sakura, so please review. Thanks ^_^

  
  


let me know what you think of my writing at logan91235@aol.com 

  
  
  
  


Legacy

By Logan

  
  
  
  
  
  


Shadows and solitude

  
  
  
  
  
  


The walk home was pleasant for Sakura. She took a slow stride which allowed her the chance to enjoy the warm weather that was due. The colder months had passed, as they always did, snowdrifts gave way to grassy hills while skeletal black trees, glazed with ice, would turn to the tiny pinkish white cherry blossoms for which japan was known, and Sakura named. These warmer months brought Sakura more pleasure then those held under winter's mantle of overcast skies and frigid days. The summer sun warmed her in both body and spirit.

Her hair glistened with a honey sheen under the light of the clear sky, augmenting the ethereal light which pooled around her. she was dressed in light colors; pale pink top with blue jean shorts. She blended perfectly to this warm season which painted the horizon in a hundred shades of beauty. The panorama which surrounded her was as utopian as any place dreamed in the hearts of the most altruistic romantic. It bent and heaved with each warm breeze as though it were a sea of grass and trees. 

The winds lifted the white and pink petals from the rows of cherry blossoms and cast them off upon the road and surrounding landscape with spectacular motion tailored to incredible beauty. These petals danced on the swirling breeze around Sakura as she walked through the storm of falling flora. The world had a magic to it, one seen in all aspects, but not grasped fully in any one.

She was walking home from the store where she had procured a few small lacking items for tonight's meal. There was no great rush to go home, and so she opted to walk as opposed to dawning her roller blades and skating to and from. It would be months before school wound back into motion, she looked forward to it with a nervous excitement at being a senior. Soon college would be at hand, and then the world would no longer be a distant silhouette upon a far-off shore, but here and now. That too had its own excitement. College... the place where she would become the woman she would be for the rest of her life. She was weighing various options, but currently the one she kept most hushed was the one she was leaning farthest tword.

Madison would be studying abroad. France, England, and America all seemed to wait for her, the world lay itself down for her as a classroom. Sakura yearned for that kind of experience, though not quite as grandiose as Madison's destination seemed to be. Sakura's sights were set to Hong Kong, a land of opportunities without doubt, but also a home to a boy who haunted her heart in its most primal core. Her brother would kill her when he made the connection between her attending college in the hometown of his "arch-nemesis" as Julian affectionately referred to Syaoran. Sakura wondered if the draw of the city was made so enticing by the culture, or the boy; but the pull was there.

Pausing at a tree to rest, though untired, she allowed herself a slight indulgence in this happy time of the seasons. Unlike many other girls, Sakura had a gift, a gift shared by many, but realized by few. The magic of this one girl was not confined to the mystic cards, which she kept close to her person, the magic which came from within her was an awareness, it was that awareness which she called to now. She closed her emerald eyes and listened to the sound of birds cooing in the tree above her, of the children playing in a nearby park, of waves lapping at a distant shore. The sounds blurred together for her and became a color that had no name, and could be only seen within the mind's eye. Her awareness stretched out at her bidding, gliding down the street like an invisible presence that felt everything. 

She felt the people in a home at the side of the street two blocks down, hesitating only with a feeling of passing voyeurism that was unfounded in that she couldn't "see" them, only sense the general aura of them, she entered the dwelling. Walls were no more a barrier to her will then the front door which had already been passed. She glided in all directions through the house, feeling lingering sensations from various objects. A mirror gave her the impression of a woman checking her makeup, a picture brought her the impression of a loved grandmother with grandchildren. She felt that there were people in this house, and she enjoyed feeling people more then mere objects. She stretched her will up the stairs and down the hall to a room which had an aura of life about it. She felt two people inside, their auras gave the impression of youth, teenagers most likely. Her essence unfurled and wrapped around them, feeling their two auras which rippled with emotions that Sakura sensed. 

The most dominant of what she felt was love. One of her favorite things to feel, love was a warmth that traveled through homes and around people like a mist of tender radiance. Love was ethereal, pristine, and by far, the most rewarding aspect of this developed spiritual awareness. She could feel their two auras as they glided across each other in caressing motions.

She had felt two auras like this before, it was a shared experience between those who held love for one another. Unaware of auras and spirits, their essences mingled entirely on instinct. The mingling of two auras was a poetic thing to the young sorceress, upon parting, they left a tiny piece of themselves behind. Sakura herself felt the fragments of other auras within her own; her father and brother, long dead mother, even Madison's too, but there was one special piece that seemed to thrive deepest within her own essence. A tiny shimmer which was special to her in the way these two auras were special to one another. She turned her thoughts away from her own essence, and back to theirs.

The flavor was changing somewhat, it had been sweet before, but now they felt different. There was more heat to the radiance, a more sultry quality to the two aura's caresses. Their gliding motions growing more passionate and with more need. Sakura was mystified to this change at first, but when it dawned on her, she broke the contact and retreated back to herself quickly. 

She felt a heat to her cheeks and released a breath that had been held a little too long. She didn't mean to stumble onto that, and having been sensing a very private moment, felt more then a little guilty. Alongside that guilt she felt the pain of an old wound that resonated out from that one special splinter of an aura within her own. she wanted to touch as the two teens had been, wanted to feel that kind of warmth for herself, not just as an bystander. She felt the all too familiar ache of longing within herself, the loneliness which throbbed in her like a stitch in the side of the heart. 

They say that time lessens pain, that it dulls the edge. Sakura still hurt for him. They had left on a good note, a warm hug and a far too chaste kiss to the cheek, but he still haunted her. She continued to exercise her ability to sense auras, in the hope that one day, her range would increase to the point she could feel him even across such a distance. She talked to Syaoran, wrote to him, but she missed feeling him. 

She feared the day would never come when she could reach out and embrace him with her own spirit. The Clow cards were fine, her control over them absolute... but she felt the need to keep growing. Magic had become too much a part of her life, to much a part of her. and now she feared that it would atrophy within her like any muscle unused. Her destiny was shrouded in mystery to her, but the will to keep growing mystically was as clear as crystal. She wanted more then cards and clairvoyance, she wanted to push herself far enough to know her limits, then surpass them. 

That sounded like Syaoran's influence. He had came to her as an enemy, but that changed. He had metamorphosed into her strongest ally and most ample source of confidence. He was not a boy raised in the suburbs of some city, but a sorcerer raised in the ancient ways of a clan of sorcerers. He was both a warrior and a wizard, both of which demanded a discipline and strength that would crack most under their pressure. He thrived within them. the fact that he demanded so much of himself carried over to her; he demanded of her as though she were not just a girl born in an ordinary world, but an equal in his world. She respected li Syaoran, and the fact that he thought of her as a equal gave her the strength of will to battle mages and seal cards. He would demand her to keep growing as a sorceress, thus she demanded it of herself, and thus, the fear of stagnation grew each day that she was not challenged.

She was broken from her thoughts by a flash of familiarity which rippled through her mind as though it were a still pool of halcyon water. She didn't open her eyes as she spoke. 

"Hi Madison." the raven-haired girl paused and cocked her head at Sakura from several feet away. Her violet eyes and ebony hair, which fell around her creamy skin like a shrouded hood, lent an aspect of mystery to her, a dark beauty that shines like a black pearl in moonlight. As a child she had been beautiful, but the passage of time had matured her features and shaped her beauty. She was the kind of girl that directors loved, mysterious and dazzling. The same beauty you would find hypnotic if you happened into the plot of one of the recent vampire movies; not the old garish ones, but the newer trend that immortalized the undead with a seductive undertone. Her china skin, raven hair, and piercingly spectral eyes all accumulated into a beauty that would be difficult to bridal with words.

The look of perplexity shifted to a warm smile that came to her without the faintest friction.

"Did I make any noise?"

"Not a sound" Sakura replied with a faint smirk of mysticism as she opened her eyes with a flash of emerald that was dazzling in the sharp contrast of white sunlight and inky shadow.

"You're getting kinda spooky Sakura" the girl chirped with a sweetness that could easily be construed as the ties of sisterhood without the patriarchal rivalry.

"It's easy, just paying attention to your feelings and instincts." she smiled.

"Still spooky."

"I promise I won't turn you into anything too slimy."

"Hopefully you won't turn me into anything at all." Madison grinned.

"You take all the fun out of this sorceress thing." Sakura quipped.

"Where are you heading?"

" I was just getting some footage for a backdrop to my latest" she patted the camcorder which was tethered by leather strap to her shoulder. The camera was impressive despite its compact nature. Knowing Madison's near fascist attitude to completely flawless video and utterly perfect audio, this camera would be top of the line. Some people with money buy items because they want them to be superior to everyone else's not for better results, but for the all-consuming ego which drives them, however Madison scoured the electronics department entirely on the desire for a superior product. A perfectionist by nature, she had honed her craft under the mantle of flawlessness. Perfectionists can be difficult to interact with, but Madison demanded it only of herself, never forcing others to march to her own ardent drummer.

"Which one is this now?"

"Sakura! You're my best friend and you don't even know what my latest cinematic masterpiece is!?" she slumped over and yelped in mock anguish that was so thick with theatrics that Sakura almost was tempted to slap her in the great soap-opera-overacting-tradition, that is of corse due to there being no glass of whine to throw in her face.

"Thank god you don't cast actors like you. The histrionics would get you laughed out of Sundance for sure." she ribbed.

"I'll have you know that a healthy flare for the dramatic is a good thing."

"You're the film genius, I'm just the sorceress, I'll take your word on that."

"Good."

"So what is this new one?"

"a coping with life's hardships kinda film, I think I e-mailed you the transcripts."

"You send me a lot of transcripts. I would have to spend four hours a day on the computer just to keep up." Madison scowled.

"Sounds like a cheery one... what were you shooting?"

"Kids in the park. The closing scene I had was a little dismal so I decided I would close on a representation of hope for the future." she smirked with artistic prowess as her hair fell over her shoulders in cascades of silken ebony.

"Um Sakura..." she probed gently

"Yes?"

" I had an idea for a new film... I was wondering if you would give me your consent to make it..." Sakura cocked her head quizzically at the oddness of the statement and the apprehensive of her tone.

"Why would you need my consent?"

"Well, it's about you...."

"But Madison, you've made a dozen movies about me. You have a shelf of cassette at least!"

"That was just private stuff. Everything I made with the cards is just for posterity. I am talking about an actual film. The kind I would send off to film festivals." Sakura felt a faint blush creep to her cheeks at the idea of such an audience.

"I-I told you before that I can't act in one of your films. No way I could handle that kind of publicity!" she stuttered in shock.

"Not you, I would cast an actress to play you. I am asking if I can film your story."

"What story? The cards?" Sakura questioned.

"Well yes, but that's not the main part of the plot. I wanted the fantasy to be a secondary genre to a love story."

"A love story....?" she spoke slowly as the realization hit her slowly.

"Its about you and li." she winced as Sakura's gaze softened.

"You are making a movie about us?" her voice was soft and whispery as if ripples on a pond, but with a depth that could extend into fathoms of murky shades of sorrow.

"If it doesn't bother you too much, I know he is kinda personal." Sakura smiled a little.

"Madison, Syaoran and I had a thing when we were kids. We're just friends now, it's not like you say his name and I explode." Madison smiled at her and touched her cheek.

"We're best friends Sakura, don't lie to me. I know how you feel about him." Sakura smiled sadly as she looked to her feet, then the smile faded away to one of anguish.

"It was so long ago Madison, a healthy person would have put it out of mind by now. I can't keep feeling that way. It's like a sickness, being so hopeless even though it was years ago that we last touched." Madison would have been tempted to crack a small joke if Sakura wasn't in this mood. A batting of the eyes and a sultry "oh sayooooorrrrraaaaaannnn", but this was most definitely a time for comforting, not teasing.

"You can't help feeling the way you feel. Li is really special, and it's hard to find people to replace someone like that. There's nothing wrong with you for still feeling that way about him." Sakura looked up and smiled a little.

"I'm sorry about that, I didn't mean to get weird. It's just that a lot of things are hitting me all at once."

"Like what?"

"Oh a lot of things, school, after school, wishing that the e-mails and calls from Syaoran could come a little more often, and I feel like I am not getting any stronger magically. It's all just accumulating."

"I can sympathize, with some of that. What's wonder-boy been doing lately?"

"Syaoran, well you know he's being groomed to lead his clan. That's a big ordeal to train for; his mom is heading it up. Diplomacy, etiquette, and some things that can't be talked about. Also he's been training a lot more."

"Is that even possible? He practically sleeps with that sword of his."

"Practically?" Sakura smirked.

"You remember how serious he was when he first came here? Well he's way past that now." Madison shook her head in disbelief.

"He's been studying serious magics, not just calling elements. The new stuff he's been learning is really powerful. And he is breezing through it."

"He said that? Breezing through it?"

"Well, no, but I speak Syaoran. He's basically being fanatical about all this training, martial arts and magics. Nothing as trivial as a social life."

"Bet Meilin just loves that." they giggled.

"You said he's into strong magics? Like how strong." Madison questioned.

"The kind of magic that can give the cards a run for their money. Even though he thinks of us as equals, his ego won't let him be the weaker of the two. He'll keep growing stronger until he is the more powerful, and then train harder. Typical Syaoran right?"

"Oh yeah, sounds just like him." she smiled. Sakura paused as she looked down the street which shimmered with ethereal light.

"Wana know something? He passed me along time ago. He never says it, but after hearing what he's been doing, the force he is controlling.... he's probably past Eriol's level by now." Madison's eyes widened.

"You're serious? He's that strong?" Sakura nodded.

"His mom is still the strongest sorceress out there though. I can occasionally sense wisps of her even from here, and my ability to sense auras isn't that powerful. But there's no doubt that Syaoran will be everything the Li clan hoped he would be."

"Scary stuff, knowing that all this is real. That it's not just fantasy.."

"Life always is complicated, just different for each person I guess" Madison replied as she looked over to a young boy who was walking beside his mother on the opposite side of the street. His world seemed so small. He would never know how broad the world truly is, a place where the volumes of fiction mingled with those of reference. 

She wondered how they would all react if their eyes were suddenly forced open, and they were confronted with a horizon populated not just by the ages of man, but the magics from ages forgotten. Sakura had opened her eyes to this world, and now they would never be able to look away from it. Madison knew that her world was wider then the world of others, and that looking into it had changed her forever.

"you're a really good friend Madison... I don't know how I would have stayed sane if I didn't have you with me through all this." she smiled.

"It's nothing Sakura, your life has given me a lot of inspiration for my films. Way more exciting then mine." she looked almost longingly to Sakura, who's life was most definitely the stuff movies and books hailed.

"Thanks for trying to take my mind off things Madison, I appreciate the effort." Sakura smiled as she raised herself from where she was leaning against the tree and stood under the shadowy veil it cast. Even under the smokey haze of the shade Sakura seemed to glow with ethereal radiance. 

"Where are you going?" Madison questioned.

"Home, Kero's probably ravenous by now."

"Maybe I should do a documentary on him sometime." Madison laughed whimsically as she and Sakura began walking off to their different homes. They were no farther then a few feet when Sakura turned back and called to her.

"Madison, make the movie. I'm sure it will be great." Madison's eyes shimmered with stars as she did a little jump of joy while squealing happily. Sakura laughed at the trace of the old Madison which periodically took control and shed all composure in favor of girlish antics. They parted ways and even as the raven haired girl was lost behind a bend of the road, she was still with Sakura. Her kindness and friendship had in fact lessened the heaviness which weighed Sakura down.

She would miss her friend when the year had come to a close and they would be off in far more different directions instead of mearly the two they had just taken. Homes would grow far more distant in the not too distant future, and Sakura wondered how well she would handle her mounting fears when she would not be there to help. 

The walk home was brisk as the sun slid lower and lower on the horizon. The phantasmic streams shifted around her in endless motion as she felt the rivers of benevolence travel through the air nearby as if she walked across a spring from which it all originated. In any city or place where people congregate these invisible rivers flowed. Brought forth by the spirits of man, the goodness and love formed some, while the wickedness and hatred create others. They were beautiful in ways she could never fully explain, always changing and different, powerful, yet tranquil. Kero tried to explain them to her, but as with much of magic, it was hard to describe.

They sometimes seemed to have cognizance as they moved both away from and to her. Those formed by the evils of men's souls tended to wind away from her, while the benevolent ones shifted closer to her. they had no tangibility, and thus she never could make actual contact with them, but she felt their warm flow through her and replenish her in ways she wasn't completely able to define when in their presence. Though difficult to put to words it's beauty was utterly beyond them. Sakura watched as the shimmering tides began at the distant horizon and sloped downward and then upward as if it were a serpent of silvery water that periodically glistened with crimsons, violets, and jades. It looked to be water without gravity's tether, but instead of mere transparency, it seemed to be liquid light. She gazed at the ethereal beauty of the spirit world superimposed with the different beauty of the world she was born into. Massive branches of phantasmic energy rippled through the sky like the great swaying brows of spectral trees far above the bustling metropolis of mankind. It took her breath as her gaze glided up from the cherry blossoms to those magical arches which bridged earth and heaven. She had to find a way to keep going farther into the world of magic, being close enough to see into its very soul, she knew that nothing short of being one with it would ever be enough for her. Sakura walked home the same way she had lived since many years ago, between two worlds.

  
  
  
  


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The home was already scented with the scrumptious aromas of sizzling stir-fry as the great professor tended to the low flame and monitored the temperature of the oils. Professor Avalon was a great man in the eyes of all that saw him. There were people who questioned how genuine his smile was on the basis of how fast and often he shared it. But there are people in this world who cannot help but question such things since they themselves are too jaded to see the possibility of honest kindness in others without asking a favor later on. Even such people could not deny that the professor was seemingly with limitless virtue and no truly distinguishing faults. He raised two children alone for the most part, and despite two different trials for any parent, he raised them well. 

Touya had saddened him to an extent when he revealed the extent of his relationship to his longtime friend Julian. But Fujitaka's love for his son, and his surrogate son, had led him to acceptance and even genuine happiness for them where so many of his generation could never go when tested in similar means. 

Sakura's test for him came in the form of a revelation which shook his grasp on reality itself. She had forced him to re-evaluate all he ever thought of legends and myths by an accidental discovery on his part in which he had stumbled in on her engrossed in a conversation with her familiar, or "guardian of the seal" as he called himself. the tiny effigy of a winged mouse had never struck him as anything more then a simple toy, but he was stunned to learn that he was in fact a magical life form known as Kero. His daughter came clean and filled the family in on a shocking story that had been going on under their very noses.

As any parent would be, he was worried in a hundred different capacities, but in a talk that spanned till morning and cost him a package of cookies and his grasp of reality, Kero answered every one of his questions. He could not forbid Sakura from practicing this talent which appealed to a sense of boy-like wonder within himself. and so he recognized that all the stories of wizards and dragons and all that he had thought to be fantasy were true. He remembered looking out the window on that morning when Kero told him of Clow Reed, Yue, the cards, and his daughter's place amongst them... he could recall many sunrises in his life, but never had one made him feel so small and full of awe at a world where science alone couldn't answer all the questions, and everything truly was a possibility.

Fujitaka stirred the oils again as Kero flew in circles around him with little success controlling his salivation.

"Can't I have just a little!?" he whined as he collapsed atop the professor's shoulder and comically pleaded for some of the rice which Touya was separating into individual bowls. The young man scowled as he did all he could to ignore the banter.

"You shouldn't be so impatient. Sakura will be home any second with the peppers, then we can put the meat back in to saute' with the rest." Kero slumped on his shoulder and went limp.

"Come on! I'm a growing beast! I'll starve!"

"Why don't you try conserving energy by shutting up?" Touya growled as Kero turned and shot him daggers.

They were broken from the death glares by the sound of the front door which soon was replaced with the sound of Sakura's footsteps.

"I'm home!" she called as her trotting footfalls reverberated through the home.

"We're in the kitchen!" her father called out to her.

"I'm getting ready to impale Kero and roast him over a spit!" her brother chimed in and was soon followed by growling.

Sakura smiled in spite of herself as she returned to the door and closed it, having put the bag on the nearest table to free up her arms. She latched the door and paused to enjoy the air conditioning and aroma of her father's cooking mingling with the familiar smells of her house. It's the small things that mean the most in the subconscious of your mind. Somehow the smell of her father's books and the lemon oil which was lavishly applied to her mother's furniture acted as a perfume that expunged some of the accumulated spiritual grime which had accumulated during a long day. Today however it wasn't enough to shake Sakura from her mounting concerns over her magic and worse yet, her mounting loneliness.

She padded into the kitchen and placed the bag of spices by her father on the counter. Kero flew over to her and perched on his mistress's shoulder while her brother offered the familiar greeting of "hello monster" normally she would reply with death threats of varying degrees, but today she didn't have the strength for it.

"Sorry I took so long dad."

"It's ok sweetie, we cooked the meat and rice. Now that we have the spices we can toss in the vegetables and then mix it all together." he smiled. "Hope you're hungry, it'll be ready in no time." 

"I'm actually not really hungry... why don't you give it to Kero." her father turned from the sizzling wok and looked at her with concern.

"Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah, just not hungry...." she replied with a small smile.

"I think I am going to take a little nap." she didn't wait for any more deliberation as she turned and headed off for her room. She disappeared down the hall leaving Fujitaka and Touya to exchange a perplexed and worried look. A moment latter the tiny winged rodent fluttered around the corner and landed on the professor's shoulder.

"She wanted to be alone. What's up with her lately? She's been moody." the tiny creature whined in a gloomy tone.

"Teenagers..."Touya offered.

"Something has been bothering her for a while now. I had hoped it would rectify itself, but this is enough.. She hardly eats anymore, doesn't have friends over as much, and she spends way too much time in her room. I don't like my little girl being depressed." Fujitaka's voice carried with it an almost supernatural quality that caused Kero's ears to prick.

"Kero, do you know what might be bothering her? Has she said anything?"

"No..."

"Protecting a secret that is hurting her is not good for her Kero..."

"I know that! It's just that she doesn't tell me things like she used to when she was just a kid. I supposed it was normal for you humans... I've never had a master as young as Sakura before." the tiny figure pouted. Fujitaka reached behind himself and undid the tiny knot at his apron's back, then slipped it over his head and tossed it to his son who caught it stiffly.

"Finish dinner Touya, I need to talk to her."

"But Sakura said she wanted to be alone!" Kero cried out, loath to disobey his mistress's orders, even though they were not given in such formality.

"Kero, I am her father... there are times we let our children handle their own problems, then times we step in. This is one of those times." The voice rippled with something that almost made Kero think the professor possessed a latent mystical power, a tone which carried straight from the lips to the soul and whispered of devotion and almost supernatural love. Instead he took it as the power of paternal love, which though common, is magical in its own. As Fujitaka walked down the hall after his daughter, Kero flew over to the counter and landed with a grunt, as though his tiny body were actually heavy as lead. He hoped that Sakura would be alright, and that her father could find out what was bothering her.

He had sensed Sakura's unhappiness long before it became obvious to everyone else, and the fact that he could not assuage it made him feel far smaller then he was, and cast question over him being her guardian when it seemed he was incapable of sparing her so many pains. Kero had watched centuries pass with ageless eyes, he had seen despair before. Now that same bleakness invaded the emerald stones which shined in Sakura's eyes... and with that terrifying truth, the immortal guardian of the Clow felt as weak as his toy-like form suggested.

  
  
  
  


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Sakura lay on her soft bed motionlessly. It was draped with pink and white sheets that had been freshly washed and felt clean under her. The lights were off and so the draped window offered the only illumination which was filtered to a dreary grey light that washed over the room and made it seem as still as a tomb dressed to be cheery, but still reeking of the same dead stillness. Within the veils of shadow Sakura's eyes fluttered open. She knew he was there before he knocked.

He slowly opened the door and hesitated at the threshold as Sakura pushed herself upright and into a sitting position. The open door permitted light from the hall to enter and form a spear of luminescence to cut through the artificial night Sakura had cultivated. He smiled at her and spoke in a soft tone, though the audible tremble to his words was clearly definable. Sakura was a child of the light, she didn't seem herself under the smokey haze which filled the room... to see her like this gave a terrifying impression of sickness and death which sent needles of ice up the vertebras of Fujitaka's spine.

"Sakura, can I come in?" his words were soft and cushioned as though a hard tone could shatter the girl like porcelain.

"Yeah, come on in dad." she smiled at him as she reached over and pulled the lamp's drawstring which caused an explosion of light to wash over the room and forced the gloom to retreat to inky shadow which seemed to skulk in corners and crevices. Her smile was forced, and it did little to comfort him... it was a mask she had come to wear far too often.

"What's been bothering you Sakura?"

"I'm ok dad... I just wasn't hungry" he pulled the chair from her desk and places it at the foot of her bed. He shook his head as he sat.

"It's not just today... something has been bothering you for a while now. I'm worried Sakura."

"It's nothing big dad... just some small things." she reached over and took hold of his hand. Fujitaka remembered that hand when it had gripped one of his fingers from her crib. It had grown so much, though it was still just as soft and still just as magical as it had been when she first took hold of him. Her fingers were long and slender the color of peach cream, much like her mother's hands...

"I'd like to talk about it if you'd let me...." she looked down, milling over what to confide and what to keep to herself. Fujitaka knew that he couldn't force her to let him in on what has been bothering her, but he desperately hoped that she would share freely with him. His hopes were rewarded as her soft voice broke the silence.

"Well it's a few things... you can't fix them daddy, but I'll tell you if you really want." he squeezed her hand in assurance as she started to talk.

"Well... you remember Li right?"

"Yeah, he was a friend of yours right? he was from Hong Kong, and went back home right?"

"He was a bit more then that...." he looked at her with puzzlement as to the soft blush which had washed over her cheeks, then when her meaning hit him he blinked in shock.

"Oh..... I see."

"Yeah... but he was a really good friend too. And he was the only other person with magic who I could talk with. We were both card captors... we were partners." her eyes glistened with tears that she bit back. Fujitaka was caught unaware of just how grown up his daughter had become, he had known she dated, but not that she had been in love.

"It's that and... well... I've decided what I want to do with my life." Fujitaka's looked at her as she met her eyes.

"Magic... I want it to involve magic." She hadn't told anyone this, she had hid it from them all... this alone must have been a major part of what was bothering her.

"I don't know how... but I feel like it's calling me. I want to become a real sorceress."

"But I thought you were the Clow mistress?" 

"Yeah... it's powerful magic, but the cards do all the work. They just tap into me to do what I want. I'm not actually using real magic, it's more like I am just telling the cards what to do. I want to be able to do what Syaoran's family does. They use magic themselves, and it's more like they are a part of magic..." her voice was wistful as it carried off to a seemingly far off place. Fujitaka had been prepared for the normal problems that a teenage girl could face, even the abnormal ones. He had steeled himself for the possibility that she was sexually active, using drugs, suffering from clinical depression, or any other of a hundred problems faced by the young. He had never expected this kind of problem.. He wasn't versed in magic, and thus could help very little.

"Only problem is that I have no way of doing that on my own. I don't know where or how to start." she had a faint whimper of frustration in her sweet voice.

"Can't Kero or Yue help?"

"No. They were created to fill specific functions for the Clow cards. Kero governs half the cards and Yue the other half, they don't know any other kind of magic, just what relates to the Clow." 

"This is really what you want to do Sakura?" he replied softly.

"If you could see what I see dad you'd understand..." She replied with annoyance in her voice over how words failed her when trying to share such a vision.

he looked at his daughter closely for the first time in too long. Where once there had stood an adorable child who had relied on him and her brother to protect and support her, now there was a woman who could think for herself and had the courage to do so when so many her age did not. She had grown from pretty to beautiful in the years that flew by for the middle aged professor as the cute cherub face grew lean and shapely as she matured. Yet she had not become immersed in narcissism. Her once shapeless body had grown to that of a woman with all the allure of feminine curves and a collection of enticing valleys and licentious slopes that no doubt cultivated a heat in the blood of many boys her age. She had never learned to use that beauty for toying with another's heart. There are few people in this world who develop such beauty both outside and in. Sakura was strong in her convictions, and her father's teachings of tolerance and love had found their way to her core. She didn't hate as so many in this world did... that alone validated her place as card mistress. Such power would not be safe in the hands of one who nurtures hatred within their heart... Thus Fujitaka took great pride in the fact that Sakura was who she was, the best in himself and the image of her mother.

Thinking over the woman she had grown into and hearing her now as she spoke of the spirit world and magic... he knew that she had thought carefully on the subject and that if any one person could make good use of magic, it would be Sakura.

"I don't know how to help... it wasn't too long ago I learned that all this magic stuff was real... but if that's what you want to do.... we'll think of a way to make it happen." he smiled at her and kissed her forehead.

"I love you dad, but I know it's probably not going to happen." she smiled.

"We'll see.... you really don't want to eat?"

"Maybe I'll grab something a bit later. I was hoping to finish this novel Madison lent me" she reached over to her end table and tossed it to her father. He fumbled with it for a moment before finally seizing it firmly. He turned it over in his hand and raised an eyebrow at the cover.

"The sorceress's knight?" Sakura giggled.

"She got into the fantasy thing after I fought that dragon that one time.."

"You fought a dragon?"

"Oh yeah, had to grow thirty stories tall to do it though.... I'll show you the video some time." she smirked.

"A normal daughter.... is that so much to ask?"

"Least I'm not dating a guy with a big van with a mattress in the back... in case he gets sleepy." she laughed evilly.

"And if you don't want to be killed and chopped into bite sized Kero food, you won't."

"I'm his master... he won't eat me"

"Have you even met Kero? He's capable of eating the drier sheets!" Sakura laughed as her father looked down at the paperback novel once more, then raised his eyes to her.

"Sakura... I have one condition to you pursuing this sorceress idea..."

"What's that?"

"You see the way this sorceress is dressed?" he tossed the book to her and she looked down at the metal brazier and fur loin cloth, both of which barely covered anything.

"Yes..."

"Never ever dress like that while I am alive."

  
  
  
  
  
  


*********************

  
  


The ocean smelled of salt as it sent specters of brackish mist up around him like a dervish of aquatic phantasms. He stood up to the calves of his baggy grey pants which faded to a more blackish grey where the water had made contact with them. he was shirtless and his skin seemed like chiseled alabaster stone under the setting sun which bathed the water and the beach in a golden hue. The young man was handsome with a lean body and refined musculature which ran across his arms and torso as a testament to years of training and refinement.

He was motionless as the waves lapped around him with frothy surges that pushed and then tugged at him. His eyes were closed and his lean face with high cheekbones and a well perportuned nose all seemed carved of stone rather then of flesh. The only movement was that of his chestnut bangs which fluttered wildly in the oceanic winds.

Beyond the breakers lay the beach of smooth sand which rose and fell as shifting dunes under the wind. The sand was still warm from a day of sun and even now as the glowing heavenly ember sank lower tword the west, it's light played on the water and the figure who stood therein.

The vast island was a refuge for a time forgot and in many respects magic itself. Boulders of eroded smooth stone lay across the beach in sporadic placement between stretches of soft sand. Some of these boulders were carved with incantations which cloaked much of the island to those who would view it from beyond. There were stone dragons and phoenixes which guarded the shoreline even when shrouded in flowering vines or partially buried by the sand. They too bore the incantations which served to protect this enchanted isle by maintaining it's anonymity.

One of the Li clan's greater spells was the shroud of illusion which surrounded their sanctuary and painted the image of a small private island which was not an uncommon home to many of the world's super rich. The world saw a small tropical island with a few traditional dwellings that almost could pass for the cabanas of an upscale tropical resort. Beyond that smokey veil of fabrication a great secret was kept.

This island was the home of a great sorcerer named Clow reed once, and even before him it was a sacred place of mystical convergence. The ancestors of the clan took note of this, and spent hundreds of years and countless generations cultivating and guarding it. Magic was in the sands of the beaches and the leaves from the trees, just as it was in the li clan themselves.

The island was far bigger then one would think, far more beautiful also. Tropical and pristine this land had never known the desecrations of the majority of a world where population increase and resource demands had violated nature and thrown an ancient balance off.

Meilin sat on one of the large smooth boulders near a great stone dragon with sweeping vines that encompassed and shrouded much of his form with lush sprigs of greenery and tiny white flowers. The girl was beautiful as she looked out over her cousin as he stood amongst the sea. Her long hair was pulled to a tight braid that served her in sparring matches. Her face was bronze in the rapidly encroaching darkness, yet her terra cotta eyes shone with keen clarity and a halcyon quality that was not the result of the sunset or the phantasmic shadows which defined the lines and angles of her form. she dressed in a red silk kimono with small black embroidering of dragons. Her pants were also black silk, though they lacked the ornate needlework of her top. Her feet were clad in simple sandals that were simply comfort oriented. She wore no jewelry or no makeup, but still a smoky allure hung over her as though she were viewed through a dream.

She watched in silence as he slowly moved his arms and hands in a kata she had never before performed due to her lack of mystical ability. As other katas were for training of the body, this one was an exercise in magic. Magic, she believed, was just like any muscle. If exercised it grew, and as the force grew it could be used in new ways. Just as an arm muscle could be developed for brute strength, it took a mind to give it purpose and enable that muscle to perform katas and wield weapons with skill beyond sheer force. She was strong, but it was more then muscle that enabled her to perform such complex martial arts, it was her training that guided each muscle to move as it should. As Syaoran's magic grew, he would become strong enough to perform new spells and wield new powers.

He drew both arms to his side, palms up. As he did the water around him grew still and flat... the small foamy waves crumbled in on themselves as if forced down under a invisible weight. As he pushed out with his palms, the water revered around him and began to part before him. He held the pose as his mystic force sliced the water and drove it apart around him. Meilin held her breath as she watched the sea bend to his will. She had watched him do this before, but never had it stopped amazing her. he now stood within a perfectly dry circle as the water parted around him while continuing to make its eternal lapping at the shore. He then turned his hands palm down and willed the water around him down also. Reluctantly but compliantly, it did as he bid it until it had arched downward to a thickness no wider then a coin's edge. He carefully stepped onto its edge and then gradually raised his palms back upward. As he did so the water rose with him still atop it.

Meilin smiled as she watched the water mend itself, though now with Syaoran's bare feet standing atop it. He stood there for a moment before hesitantly taking a step outward. The water gave slightly under his foot, but then grew more stable. He turned to Meilin with a smirk of accomplishment on his lips. 

He was handsome, just as he was as a boy. He smiled so rarely then, more now, but still not enough. As the Chinese girl looked at him she felt the familiar butterflies in her stomach. She had been hopelessly in love with him for a long while, but things changed gradually when she realized how much he cared for Sakura. It hurt to lose, but some things seemed pre-ordained, and the romance between the two of them had. She could curse fate for hurting them as it had. He had too many responsibilities, and she lived too far away... they left on good terms... but there seems to never be truly good terms when you are leaving the one you love.

Meilin watched him deal with that ache. He had devoted himself entirely to the preparation for the day he would step up and assume his place as leader of the clan. He never went back to being the cold boy he had once been though. Meilin saw that as the lasting influence of Sakura. Meilin had once hated the card mistress for her magic and her magic over Syaoran, now she hated the forces which kept them apart. She missed Sakura, and the happier version of Syaoran that she brought out.

"Looking good out there!" she called to him with a laugh. He didn't laugh too, but he grinned a little, and that was all she had wanted.

"Is it getting any easier?"

"No.. It's a lot to control." he replied as he placed his legs farther apart and into a more stable position. She knew he was lying, he wasn't the most forthcoming with his own successes since he only competed with himself now. She reached over on the bolder and plucked three small stones. With a mischievous smirk she tossed them at him. The distance was considerable, but she was a girl with a few considerable talents.

Syaoran yelped in shock as he leapt out of their path with a small flip that came very easy to anyone who trained as much as he did. He landed in a crouch, but stable on top of the water. His eyes narrowed as he turned to her with a glower.

She smiled cutely at him and hopped down from the stone and walked down to the shore where she laughed softly.

"I think you may be getting the hang of it Syaoran" 

"Like to see you try it..." he glared, though she could see the laughter in his eyes.

"Sorry, no magic.... but I bet I could concentrate a bit better." he raised an eyebrow.

"How do you figure that?" he had that "in your dreams" tone to his voice that Meilin enjoyed challenging so much.

"Well since you asked.... if I started thinking about Sakura I wouldn't fall in." he blinked and teetered a little with shock.

"Don't do that!" he snarled with a fierce blush as he regained balance.

"Very impressive... but lets see just how much you can focus when I really offer some distraction."

"I swear if you flash me I will cut your head off!" he growled.

" you're not that lucky. Now... make sure you don't start picturing Sakura wearing one of those really skimpy outfits Madison makes.. You know the ones.... they were really revealing. All lace and see-through material? Or how about that one with cat ears and the leather..." she stopped as she heard the tell tale splash and looked over to see Syaoran grumbling with everything below his shoulders submerged and his hair slicked against his face.

"I really hate you Meilin..." he growled.

"It's not my fault you can't keep your mind focused...."

"Like hell." he stood up and walked back to the beach, dripping as he went. When he was a good distance from the surf he turned to the sand and muttered an incantation. With a whoosh of light a medium fire burned without any form of kindling or tender besides the white sand.

He plopped down in front of it with a grunt, then was joined by Meilin. They sat there for a moment with silence, both looking into the swirling plumes of the mystical fire as it danced with pyrotechnic exuberance and tiny frolicking embers. The night had finally come, now as they looked out over the rapidly darkening landscape and heavenly constellations Meilin felt a sympathetic pain for her cousin who remained fixed to the fire.

"You miss her a lot?"

"It comes and goes... but yeah." he trusted her more then he once had. When the obsession with him had faded, the romantic love which she felt turned to a strong sisterly bond. He thought of her as a sister, but unlike his actual sisters, he could stand spending time with the Chinese martial artist. He had grown to enjoy her comradery and her counsel enough to share some of his feelings with her, though she knew that there was a lot he would never share.

"Why don't we go back? For a visit?" she offered.

"I wish we could... but the counsel doesn't believe I should be taking vacations with my coming of age so close. Only legitimate clan business. But maybe you could go visit if you want." he half-smiled..

"No... it wouldn't be the same without you. I don't see why they are so hard on you... you are way ahead of their training schedule, and you'll be the leader of the whole clan soon! They will have to obey you."

"That day isn't here yet..." he replied glumly.

His face was bathed in the orange light of the fire. It's flickering motions cast jagged ghosts of shadow and phantoms of light into a erratic dance across his form. Meilin watched him with a sad understanding of his destiny. He wasn't free, but a slave to the clan. He would never abandon it and denounce his place as its leader, it was too much a part of him. But the life of responsibilities that awaited him offered abundant duties and very few amenities... the one Meilin knew he would morn most was choice.

His actions all had to be considered for what was best for the clan. Even if things weren't so complicated with Sakura, it ultimately would not be entirely his choice. as future leader of the clan, he could bypass the council in certain areas... but if Sakura were unable or unwilling to bear children. Or if those children would be incapable of passing the capacity for magic onward... he would not be able to marry her. 

Syaoran's lineage was strong, in fact, the strongest for the passage of magic. Some learn magic, others are born with a natural capacity for it. The latter tended to be the stronger since they possess a natural aptitude which only increases with training. He could never choose a woman who would delude the line and thus be incapable of providing a true heir.

Meilin was grateful that he fell in love with the sorceress instead of herself. It had hurt when the council deemed her unworthy and canceled their arranged marriage since she was the fluke of the family, born without mystical ability. She could only imagine how hard it would have been if Syaoran had returned her feelings and then been forced apart by the council.

In a way she wished she had the magic of her family, but in another she was grateful that she had been denied something with such a high price. She was truly free to choose the corse of her own life where Syaoran was not. If Meilin chose to marry someone who would not be able to give her children that was her decision, not her family's. As she looked over to the young sorcerer who was lost in thoughts of his own she understood some of the pain he must feel. Knowing that he couldn't be with Sakura now because of his place as future leader, and knowing that if by some twist of fate she were deemed unworthy, he would have no recourse but to respect the laws of his people.

"It's not fair... that the clan forces you to sacrifice so much, forces us all to sacrifice so much." she said softly. he turned to her with a look of fierceness in his eyes that would cast no doubt on his possession of the strength needed to lead the li clan.

"It will change Meilin... the council is old, centuries behind the rest of humanity. Arranged marriages... preservation of the clan's magical lineage at the cost of its integrity... they have too much faith in these spells which hide them from the world, it's like they think the clan will never be a real part of the world. They just do enough to insure the li clan has enough wealth and power to keep functioning as a world power. We control stocks and companies, we have multinational firms and subsidiaries. We have so much influence in the world, but we are not a part of it.

Before japan, I never had really left this island. I went on a few trips with mother for clan business, but never was able to explore the world outside. I love this island, but there is so much that it doesn't have. Sakura's world has problems we don't, but at least it's not so old and decrepit that it has been dying out for generations." Meilin watched him as he spoke, his eyes were staring off beyond her and farther still, behind the lapping breakers of the beach, off in the direction of japan. She had no doubt about the future of her clan as long as Syaoran was to be its leader.

"Their world has many wondrous things... but most import, they have freedom to make their own destinies, not conform to what a group of old sorcerers choose for them. I couldn't believe what her world is like.... she has the choice of what her future will be... and who it will be with.." he whispered the last part with a sad voice that lingered in the air amidst the crackling of the fire. A moment of silence passed between them before he spoke again with a conviction that came from his core.

"Once I am leader of the clan I will force them to embrace reality. It'll take my whole life, but I will make this clan strong again. Magic is in danger of being lost to the world... We can't hide and let it go extinct. There will be a time when the rest of mankind is going to have to embrace magic again... and to do that we will have to embrace the rest of mankind ourselves. magic and science must be used together if we are going to survive... both the li clan, and the world around it. As long as the clan hides like this we risk dying out... and if we do, magic may very well die with us.

I will make this clan great again... and when I have children, they won't be forced to go through what I am now..." his voice was a whisper of breath through clenched teeth. He smiled at her sadly as he waved his hand over the fire and extinguished it with a whoosh of smoke. They rose and walked back up the slope of sand to the edge of the lush tree-line which sloped upward in a hill. The path was paved with ancient steps smoothed by the passage of time. They were familiar enough to be walked in the blackest of night, and now they shined like ivory under the silver moon. 

Beyond the stairs which lead from the beach to the main grouping of the clan's buildings there stood a large structure where Syaoran's immediate family dwelled. It was among the largest and most regal; almost a castle in itself. Its exterior was decorated with stone dragon sentinels and a sweeping tile roof that towered above the other nearby buildings such as the library, servant houses, dojo, and the shrine. 

Near the roof, on the upper most level there stood a large circular terrace which was connected to the house by stone walkway. It went straight down the side of the great house in a tower of smooth stone, terminating at a garden from which flowering vines grew. There was a massive and intricate mystical symbol upon the terrace floor which was invisible to the naked eye, but resonated with light when called upon. This was a sacred spot amongst the clan, it dated back to the last years of Clow reed's life when he created it as a place to channel magic for various purposes. Li Lerae had taken Sakura here when she visited Hong Kong, and used this great monolith to view the girl's destiny.

She stood there now, and the symbol glowed brightly even though she was not channeling a spell, but watching her son and niece as they talked on the beach by a fire. Her hair was held in place by a gold and silver headdress which was studded with tiny pieces of jade and pearl. She was as elegant as a china doll with her porcelain-white skin and blood red lips. Her lashes were dark ebony, and her eyes shone like the finest polished black onyx. She wore a crushed satin rose hued undershirt with a white kimono and matching skirt. There was a unearthly quality to her also that defied words and set her apart from all others.

Her magic was so incredibly intune with her that no longer did she consciously use it, but had let it become reflex. She sensed things with her magic as simply as one sees when their eyes are open, automatic. She had felt a heaviness in her son for a time now and had begun to worry for him.

She had no intent of eavesdropping, but he was so focused and concentrated on what he was discussing with Meilin that she had instantly registered every word and emotion he spoke or felt while his mind was so localized on the subject. It made her proud to sense such fierce determination in him. He had what his father had, and what was needed to govern the clan. She also agreed on much of what he felt.. The counsel was afraid... And what her son had planned would be for the greater good of the clan. A thin smirk appeared on her ruby lips as she imagined how they would react when her little wolf showed them his teeth.

But she felt a disturbing sadness from him also... a loneliness that pierced him. She could sense the cause, but magic wasn't necessary for that... as a mother she had seen the difference in him upon returning from japan. A coldness had been thawed within him, and now an ember of love burned. 

When she had read Sakura's destiny she had noted that it intertwined with her son's in many aspects. There was no clear picture to be viewed there, but the impression it gave confirmed that they would share a love. And also great pain for that love. Touching the heart of the card mistress was a dangerous thing. The power of the Clow draws adversity, and the pain left in its wake aches eternally. That is the sad legacy of the Clow... and that of the card mistress.

She was drawn back to her son and the sadness which hurt him. She felt it as she touched his aura and thought back over the words he had spoken to Meilin...

  
  


I will make this clan great again... and when I have children, they won't be forced to go through what I am now...

  
  


Lerae knew that his son would never have to be afraid of losing the woman he loved because of the rules of the clan. It would be the both the gift and the legacy of his father. 

"such a beautiful thought." she spoke to the night around her. but there was a touch of sadness in her voice as a dark thought crept up from the shadow and bit her. she shivered from a nonexistent gust of cold wind. 

How sad it would be if he were taken from them before he could make that dream into a reality.

The stars shined in the heavens and the waves lapped at the shore under a silver moon, but the beauty of this night was gone.

  
  
  
  


*********************

  
  
  
  


Specters of demonic hatred glided through the lightless world Sakura stood amidst. She could not see them, only feel them as they brushed between her legs and against the gooseflesh which covered her exposed legs and arms. She wore a white gown which flapped in the winds like a great white bird in the throws of an agonizing death. The air smelled of brimstone and the stale scent of old death. 

There were things in the sky, fluttering like crows or bats. They were only distinguishable by the rustling of their wings which was far too loud to be either such animal. They could very well be hobgoblins riding the putrid winds which tugged at her like ghosts and corpses.

She was beyond afraid as she turned around and around spinning like a dervish seeking any light, though fearing what light might illuminate in this smothering blackness. She could sense things in this lightless hell... all evil. emotions flashed through her senses like flaring bolts of twisted lighting. Hatred, loathing, a hunger for murder and death that gnawed at the mind, but most troubling was the sensation of a need from the presence which lurked in the distance. It wanted her... Smelled her... sensed her... needed her...

She could barely locate the direction from which the demonic thoughts were coming, but when she did, she ran. Her footfalls echoed as though she were in a tunnel, and hear heartbeat hammered in tune with her ragged breath. 

She yelped as she fell, her leg seized by a metalic claw which clanked as it grabbed hold of her. she rolled on the floor screaming, but the thing had released her before she was able to kick it away. Compelled by some unknown force, she reached out and began sweeping her hand over the ground in search of it. Her hand brushed against something cold and metalic, but thankfully it did not react to her. she seized it, and as she did, realized it was a sword.

Her eyes adjusted to the dark, but only the dark around the object. She saw the weapon which was startlingly familiar to her. The sword of the li clan. Only the future leader of the clan carried such a weapon, and to find it here, alone, rose a new terror in her that took presidence over the fear of the thing which lurked in this blackness. She gripped the sword tightly as tears came to her eyes. 

"Syaoran! Syaoran! Are you there!? Syaoran!?" she called out into the night as she looked frantically about, trying to see through the darkness and find him. Somehow she knew he was there, and possibly unconscious. If that thing found him first.... that thing couldn't find him first!

"Yes Sakura?" she spun around and gasped with joy as she saw Syaoran standing a few feet away. His skin shined like ivory in a heavenly radiance that set him apart from the evil of this place. He wore his traditional battle garbs of his clan, though the hat was missing, leaving his tousled hair in plain sight. He smiled at her and all fear was gone. 

She wanted to run to him and let him hold her, but the thing in the darkness seemed closer... she could hear it now... it was breathing loudly, and in each wheezing breath she could almost make out a word. Over and over again the ragged breathing grew louder, and the word clearer. She found her fist shaking while gripping the sword's hilt so hard her hand began to ache.

Over and over again, louder and louder the demonic word became more clear. She was begging it to stop, but as it grew louder it's clarity became unmistakable. Not a word, but a name. The voice hissed it over and over again as she forced her eyes shut, her whole body trembling.

"Sakura...." it repeated malevolently as the world spun around her. she felt like she was about to explode.

"Sakura?" the voice was a foot away from her and she lashed out with the sword at it. She recognized the voice a second too late, just after the sacred blade had been driven through Syaoran's chest. Her emerald eyes shot open and she stared into the placid amber eyes of the boy she loved. He stared at her with that same sweet smile even as she released the sword and backed away in horror.

The weapon was held in place within his body as he cocked his head quizicly at her, as if asking why she looked so panicked. Then he smiled again.

"I love you Sakura." with a sudden flash of darkness he was gone and Sakura cried out in a groan that had been crushing within her throat as she held her breath. It turned to a sob that made her knees quake. She turned to run, though she knew that there was no escape from either the demon or the agonizing knowledge that she had just murdered Syaoran.

She had gotten half a step when she cried out at the new image that waited for her.

An angel with long flowing white wings was held aloft before her. he dangled limply, suspended by chains which bound him and hung him there. His arms were out at his side, suspended by tethered forearms while his legs were chained tightly together. he looked out at Sakura, but she couldn't meet his gaze. He was shirtless, and in the center of his chest there was a large hole. Within that cavern of flesh a fire burned with crimson plumes of flame. She stared into the gaping cavity and the fiery core which burned within him... his heart. She couldn't quite see it, but she felt that it was what burned within, and yet was not destroyed by the ruby fire. She suddenly became aware of the tone of his alabaster skin, and the placement of his wound. She was terrified at what she might find, but she looked to his face.

Her fear was confirmed as she found herself staring into Syaoran's eyes. He stared out upon her, between alive and dead as if it were the twilight between awake and asleep. He was watching her through his mystically glowing eyes as if waiting for something she would say or do.

A sudden keening cry pierced the blackness and drew her attention to the demon that now stood before her. she stared up at it, though it was completely obscured in shadow. It stood out from the night around it because it somehow was darker then the pure black which was the substance of this world. The thing was beyond massive, as tall and monolithic as a building of huge concrete slabs and steel. It looked down on her as she looked up at it.

The communion was broken as the fluttering sound she had heard earlier became more clear and close. She opened her hand to it, and one of the fluttering things landed in her palm. She had no clue why she did that, but upon doing so discovered that it was a Clow card. She didn't have time to identify which one before it flew off on a sudden spectral gust. She watched it as it flew upward into the sky. Suddenly she could see all the cards as they flew on swirling vortices of phantasmic wind around the demonic creature which stared down at her through its pure black eyes.

"Sakurrrrrrraaaaaaaa..." the demon snarled through lips that were not made for speech, at least not human speech. Once again she felt the emotion behind it: hate, rage, and need.

It lowered itself down to her level as she stared up at it, paralyzed by fear and curiosity. It's massive cranium was a foot away from her face. she could feel the hot blasts of dead air from it's nostrils, but still it was too dark to see. The beast seemed almost to be made of darkness, as though shadow formed its skin, gloom its bone, shade its blood, and blackness its soul.

It opened its gaping muzzle to rows and rows of wickedly sharp teeth that were too dark to be seen, but too real to be doubted. It could have snapped her up whole, but instead spoke to her in the much smoother and infinitely more terrifying native language of its kind. 

It's words were screams. Not the screams of demons or devils, not the wail of banshees or the mournful howl of werewolves, but the cries of humans. A variety of cries all merged together into that voice. There were cries of stark terror that could only precede a violent death, the low moaning wails of the stricken as they bled to death, there were gurgling shrieks of pain that were sung in the chorus of the maimed and torn, the pleading cries that periodically jumped with pain as though sobbed out while being raped and tortured. And lastly the almost childlike bawling of sheer grief and despair.

If there were words in that language Sakura could not comprehend them.... but their meaning was as clear as any truth she had ever known. They were a promise from this black thing that crawled from the very soul of hell, and upward to the world of mankind.

  
  


Sakura woke from her vision without a jump or a gasp, but with an urgency. She reached to her side and clicked on the lamp. The room was cast into light, she was tempted to turn on the other light on the dresser, then the one on the desk... she didn't want any dark around her after seeing what she just saw. Madison's novel was at her side, she almost knocked it off her bed as she hastily moved to her desk and pulled the red notebook from where it was always kept.

She had gotten in the habit of immediately recording her visions the second she returned from them, while they were still fresh. She felt that the rush wasn't necessary since she would not loose one detail from a vision that terrible as a blessing and a curse. She wrote fast...

  
  


The cards....

Me killing Syaoran...

Him as a bound angel...

The demon...

Evil...

Hate...

Rage...

Need....

She was just scribbling down the basic impressions first, then she would go on with a more detailed narrative of the vision. She paused to look down at her own writing. Her pen had engraved the words onto the paper with great pressure, also her writing was sloppy. She looked to her clammy hand and was shocked to see just how much it was shaking.

  
  
  
  
  
  


*********************

  
  


Dinner had been eaten in relative silence after Fujitaka had told both brother and beast what was bothering her. he neglected to mention the romantic problems with Li Syaoran since he was aware that both of them were not big fans of the Chinese sorcerer. The three of them all loved Sakura so much that her sorrow had become theirs at startling speed. They had wrapped a plate of stir-fry up in cellophane and placed it in the refrigerator for her, then retreated. and now they all were lost in thought over possible answers to this dilemma.

The study was added onto the house shortly after he and his wife had moved from their small apartment. The house was perfect for a family, but for the professor and his wife one small adaptation must be made.

Natasha was American, but raised by a Japanese woman who had adopted her as a child after her parents were killed in a car accident. The woman was as loving a mother as any could be and the girl grew into a woman with a love of both books and the culture from which her mother had come. After college she moved to japan and fell in love with a professor of archeology who taught part time at its college and was among the museum's most celebrated scholars.

They shared a love of books and a love for each other that soon resulted in marriage and children. Fujitaka could still remember Natasha as she held her two year old son in her arms and negotiated with contractors for the construction of the study. Already they had converted the basement into a library, but their collection of books was far too vast to be confined there for long, and soon the favorites migrated into the newly built study. 

After Natasha's death bringing their daughter into the world, Fujitaka had carefully placed all of his wife's favorite books on the foremost shelves. He had read each of them a dozen times, but still he would occasionally be drawn to them in times of hardship or of loneliness. He held one now in his lap as he sat in the large black leather recliner which sat near a small couch where his son sat and Kero perched.

"Well we have to find a way to make it happen...." the professor said matter-of-factly.

"I agree, Sakura should branch out into other forms of magic..." Kero chimed in as Touya rolled his eyes and leaned forward.

"Come on dad... sure, we all want Sakura to be happy. But this is more then we can handle! How are we supposed to help Sakura learn real magic? It's not like there is a sorcery for dummies book at the store."

"He's got a point..." Kero commented as he rose to his hind legs and walked down the arm of the sofa with a thoughtful look on his face which contradicted the comical walk of a stuffed toy.

"Your world isn't one where real magic exists as much. The closest you have is David Copperfield, and all that is illusion.... and not even magical illusion, just tricks of light and a lot of mirrors. I saw it all on a TV special." the toy commented with a serious frown on his comical face.

"Sakura is meant to be a true sorceress.... but I don't know how to help with that..." Kero said as Touya got up and paced across the room. He growled low and punched a wall with the loud slap of skin on drywall and cursed a low hiss of frustration over his inability to help Sakura be truly happy again. Kero raised an eyebrow as he looked at the boy with interest. He was hardest on Sakura, first to ridicule and tease.... but his love for her was countless fathoms deep.

"calm down son... we'll find a way."

"It's not like she needs help with an academic subject dad!" he snapped.

"You know... when you were fifteen you had trouble in mathematics... you were almost failing. I tried showing you flash cards and helping you with your homework, but it didn't work. In the end the only thing that helped was me hiring a tutor for you.... maybe that's what we need here, a tutor."

"A master.... it is not unheard of in mystical circles... but in this age there are very few. To find a practitioner of magic who is accomplished enough to act as a master for Sakura will be a challenge. Those who possess great magic are very guarding of it, even with the Clow cards Sakura would not be readily accepted. They train apprentices under very strict criteria... usually from infancy."

"Why are they so cautious? Wouldn't they want magic to spread more?" Fujitaka questioned. Kero looked at him for a moment and then glowed with a hot golden radiance which enveloped the room in a flash. His tiny wings grew to engulf him, and then with a golden burst of mystic energy opened again to reveal his true form.

The golden beast had the form of a lion, but with massive wings which held aloft on his back. As the golden light gradually dimmed, he stood before them with all the majesty of what he was. Like any big cat, his body was a vast rippling sea of muscle and sheen. He looked into Fujitaka's eyes through his own burning flaxen cat eyes which glowed faintly in the soft light of the room. He stretched his wings outward and swished his long flowing tail.

They looked at the guardian beast of the sun with a reverence that didn't lesson each time he cast off his borrowed form in favor of this one. Red gems and a great breastplate and headdress shimmered with ethereal light as the mighty beast spoke through his true voice.

"Why are they cautious? Mankind has used his technology to lethal ends... imagine what magic could unlock for you... the ancient sorcerers had spells that could wipe this earth clean of all life... summon demons... Bring forth evils that defy your imagination... 

The last sorcerers now guard all that knowledge for the day it will be returned to humanity... but only when humanity is ready for it. It's almost funny how ironic that is...

The last of them guard magic fanatically and will protect it... even though it means letting a talent like Sakura's fade away in atrophy... she was raised by normal humans, not wizards... thus she cannot be trusted in their eyes. If she let the secret of magic out... it could bring about the end of all things..."

"That's crap!" Touya snapped. "Sakura would never..."

"I trusted Sakura enough to make her card captor... to sponsor her for the final judgement... I know how worthy she is of all this, but they will not. Clow reed went outside tradition in the making of the cards... creating icons that simplify magic so much... it makes the secrets that much easier to come out. The other sorcerers have a stigma about the cards, and because of it a tutor will be nearly impossible to find..." the mighty beast hung his head.

"It seems so hopeless...." Touya sighed.

There was a moment of silence between the three. In that desolate silence a soft aroma arose. It smelled of jasmine, lotus, and orchid, none of which grew near the Avalon residence. Kero raised his head and then rose to his feet in alert. The other looked at him in perplexity as the fragrance grew more heavenly as soft wisps of incense joined the mingling perfumes.

"There is a spirit here..." the great lion answered.

"What?" Touya remarked.

"Spirits are not always balls of light or misty figures... more often they are perceived in less flamboyant senses... smell and hearing." Touya cursed his lack of mystical awareness now that it had been traded for Julian's continued presence in his life. He did not regret the bargain with Yue, but he was now helpless in matters of the supernatural.

The room grew warmer as the fragrances lingered and were joined by a soft chanting that was not frightening, but strangely comforting, even though the words were in a mystic language that not even Kero could understand.

"What's going on here Kero?" Fujitaka questioned.

"You have company..." as he spoke a tiny jade firefly erupted from still air and flew tword the professor.

"It's not an evil, I sense that..." Kero replied quickly, though he omitted the mention of the power he also sensed within this tiny glowing ember.

The professor smiled hesitantly to the entity as it's color shifted to a pale blue. The tiny spark flew to a distance and then swirled off into a glowing turquoise mist which began to take human shape. They all watched in awe as the spectral aura took the form of a beautiful Chinese woman clad in flowing white robes which glided on perpetual, but ghostly wind. 

"Li Lerae..." Kero whispered in disbelief as the Chinese sorceress manifested fully to a translucent version of herself. She was real, yet had all the solidity of smoke as her long flowing gown rippled in the phantasmic wind. Her elegance was augmented by this misty representation of herself.

She smiled softly and bowed politely to Fujitaka, who stared in awe of her.

"Hello mr Fujitaka... I am Li Lerae, and I apologize for such flamboyance, and entering your home uninvited. I however believe I can be of assistance in this current dilemma you face."

"Umm... nice to meet you..." he replied shakily as Touya tore himself from her ghostly visage to Kero's. He turned to the boy.

"You remember li Syaoran's mother? You met her in Hong Kong a few years ago..." she turned to the two of them with the grace of wind, causing both to jump under her gaze.

"It is nice to see you again Touya Avalon... and you as well Kero. Though we were never properly introduced since you were hiding in Sakura's bag at the time." she smiled warmly to him.

"What brings you here?" Fujitaka questioned with as much aplomb as he could muster.

"Our clan has a series of oracles who make predictions for us... they foresaw this problem you would face. and so I came to pay you a call, in a manner of speaking, and offer my assistance."

"Why like this?" Kero asked, much less stunned then the other two.

"Matters of such importance should be conducted face to face." she replied as she turned to address them all.

"I am aware of the current dilemma faced by your daughter, mistress Sakura... she is a gifted child, and would benefit greatly from the aid of the Li clan."

"Excuse me? What are you purposing?" Fujitaka questioned.

"Forgive me. I have known for a time now that Sakura wants to take a place amongst the sorcerers and sorceresses of our time. I know how much potential she has, and how vital it is that she receive the training in these arts so that her potential is not squandered. I have come to you now as emissary from the li clan to offer our assistance. Our family has many accomplished sorcerers, and we would like to offer the services of one as a teacher to your daughter." Fujitaka blinked in shock as he stammered in reply.

"That is very gracious of you..."

"Of corse this would be free of all charge..." he blinked.

"I cannot accept such generosity, you offer so much for nothing. At least let us pay..." he stood now and faced the spectral representation of the sorceress. She looked into him through her deep eyes and her expression softened.

"You are aware I take it that my son was involved with the capture of the cards along with your daughter?" Fujitaka nodded.

"He is the future leader of our clan. Upon returning from japan he told us of the new card mistress... He told us of her kindness, determination, and her worthiness. it was under his word that she be deemed deserving in our eyes of this honor, and also that she be granted fellowship with our clan." her smile was warm despite the aura of power which she radiated. 

"My son does not give out praise readily... he has been trained since childhood to be reserved with blind adulation, and only give respect to those who truly deserve it... he has decreed that Sakura Avalon be considered a member of our family. Never has such an honor been bestowed on an outsider before without being married into the clan. The fact that he would do so shows how deeply he cares for her. and how special she is...

This is not an act of charity, but an act of family... Sakura's happiness is important to us. So I ask you now if you will permit us to give her this gift..." in the corse of her dialog the astral projection of the matriarch of the li clan had grown more calm. Now she was defined as a spirit only by the azure tones of her coloration and her hazy transparency. She was statuesquely timeless as they stood in her presence, marveling at what she had just revealed, and the majesty which she portrayed.

She had told them that their little Sakura was considered family in the clan's eyes, and though Touya and Kero resented such implications, the fact that this last great dynasty of magic so opened its arms to embrace her reaffirmed just how special she was. This all seemed so surreal, getting the answer to such an impossible problem all at once, being confronted by the mystical emanation of Li Lerae, and having the bomb dropped that Li Syaoran had gone before his people and pleaded for Sakura's place amongst his family. All this converged into a mind numbing chain of events which left them stunned.

"I remember your son, he impressed me greatly with his maturity and composure. I see that is due to his mother's influence. It's a shock to hear that Sakura is so well regarded amongst your family, especially given the feelings many sorcerers have against those who are new to magic, as opposed to born into it. I still feel guilty for abusing your kindness so much, but my daughter's happiness is most important to me, and since I cannot help her myself..." he trailed off, realizing that he had been rambling. He had been overcome by happiness, shock, and the exalted nature of the empress-like effigy of smoke which hovered before him.

"Sakura's happiness is our happiness miss Lerae... her sadness has been ours. I feel guilty for accepting such an offer from you, but I thank you with all my heart for offering this opportunity to our Sakura." he bowed his head as his eyes went misty. The ethereal matriarch looked at him with a small nod and a knowing smile.

"I have met your daughter once before; I did not need mysticism to see how great her heart is. I have come to see that the real magic she carries is the greatness of her character, a magic which enchants all whom she touches. Her instructor will arrive in two days..." she turned to address them all.

"I assure you that Sakura will be in the best of hands..." she bowed again and bid them goodbye. Her form grew more hazy as her gown turned to swirling plumes of turquoise smoke.

"Wait." Fujitaka said.

"Yes?" she quarried.

"Umm.... next time you want to get in touch with us... could you possibly use the phone?" he smiled warmly with a chuckle. The matriarch brought her hands to her lips and laughed softly.

"Yes I suppose this was a little excessive..." she smirked with a Mona Lisa grin as she bowed to them and dematerialized to wispy vapors which hung on the still air for a moment before fading off in a swirl of air. The aroma of the flowers faded just as her image did, leaving them with no proof that the sorceress had ever appeared to them at all. They were silent for a moment before Kero shook his massive head as if to clear his mind.

"The sad thing is, that isn't that out of the ordinary for this family..." he smirked through his large lion muzzle.

"I don't trust that family...." Touya shook his head as he looked to his feet.

"I know how you feel about the li's, but I think you don't trust Syaoran is more fitting."

"That kid was trouble... getting involved in his family feels like a mistake." he growled in a way that Kero would be hard pressed to imitate.

"Touya, this is what's best for Sakura... it's our only option."

"I know that dad it's just that kid was..." his father cut him off.

"I've talked to Sakura about Syaoran... I know they weren't friends at first, but tword the end they were. The boy almost died protecting her when some of the card battles were going on. Am I right Kero?" he turned his attention on the sitting lion which raised a paw to his chin thoughtfully. He was hesitant to answer, but he begrudgingly was honest.

"Battling the cards was a dangerous situation for all of us. The brat did take a few step in to protect her a few times, but I still wouldn't give him a medal for it though, it was probably just dumb luck.." he replied begrudgingly.

" more importantly, she cares about him. You can't be so bitter Touya, the li clan is Sakura's best chance at becoming a sorceress... and they are bending over backwards for us." his tone was soft, but had a authoritative tone to it. Kero sighed as he padded over to them, his large paws ticking on the wooden floor as he left the throw rug and drew closer to the door.

"I don't like the kid either, and that family doesn't smell right to me... but they are our best and only shot at giving this to Sakura. Their family is the largest organization of sorcerers wizards and warlocks, probably in the world. Even if we had offers flooding in they would still be the best of the group. Plus, it's not like they would send the brat to be her teacher..." he huffed as he turned and padded away tword the kitchen. Such an odd family Fujitaka had, but he treasured every moment with them. He was looking forward to telling Sakura about her new tutor.

  
  
  
  
  
  


*********************

  
  


The morning sun cast silver over the low mists of the grounds. The grass was beaded with jewels of dew as the oceanic breeze gently swept the tropical flora into slow rousing motions. The sun was not out in full force yet, but the day promised to be warm. Li Lerae walked down the stone path from the housing branch of the estate and off tword the Dojo. She was restrained with her smile, but it was there as she was looking forward to giving her son just the break he was looking for.

She tried not to think of the negative aspects of this action, knowing that if he went, he may never return to them. she had to remind herself that he was more then just her son, he was the leader of their clan. She could not hide and coddle him, fate would decide. As matriarch, the affairs of the clan took precedence over her reservations as a mother. Syaoran was the most well suited to teach Sakura, he was among the strongest sorcerers in the clan, and also his past with her would be invaluable in establishing teacher student relations. There were a dozen reasons he must go to her, but only one to not tell him about this...

The dojo was beautiful in its intricacies, alabaster stone steps which lead up to the main floor several feet above ground level. Sweeping pillars raised from the stone foundation to hold the ornate oriental tiled roof aloft. Incantations swirled up each pillar as a blessing and a plea for divine protection of all who train here. Massive dragons of pure jade lounged and wrapped around the building with timeless poses of tranquil power and eternal wisdom. Their detail was without precedent as each scale glittered gold around the edges as the sun swept higher from the east. Their flowing manes were locked in eternal morion as some of the great five clawed beasts appeared to be frozen in a moment of motion.

Li Lerae made her way up the steps silently as she listened to the grunts and slaps of bodies mingled to the crack of wooden training instruments meeting like thunder.

The stone floor turned to mat in the area where the sparring was taking place. There was a mystical seal across the massive tan mat which was the symbol of their clan. In the distance, beyond the large matted area many candles burned with mystical flame that did not consume their wicks, mearly perched upon them. there were more dragons inside the dojo. Lerae glanced over at one such beast which stared intently at the combatants through his stone gaze. From his nostrils tiny wisping plumes of incense rose up and flavored the air with sandalwood.

"Hello aunt." Meilin chirped from where she sat on one of the benches nearest to the weapon racks. Swords, spears, sai, tonfas, quarterstaffs, and many more weapons gleamed in the faint light of the morning sun. each weapon was polished and oiled with infinite care and attention to detail. These weapons were for training, but not the kind that was going on now. For sparring, less lethal weaponry was employed as now they clashed with wooden Kendo sticks, and all but one of them wore traditional padded armor.

"He's at it again?" the matriarch questioned as she walked over to Meilin and sat. 

"Yep, he's giving them a hard time today..." the girl was dressed very casually today, obviously since she was planning to spend a good deal of the day training and sparring as Syaoran now was.

There were four people in the training arena at the moment, three against the one. Normally this would not be permitted, but Syaoran was known to stack the deck against him. He wore no armor, but didn't particularly need it. His training had put him at a different level from those who now attacked him.

That fact was obvious as the two women watched the young master side-step jab after jab and duck back from powerful slashes. His body moved with the grace of water as he reacted instantly and smoothly, almost gliding around them as the other youths pursued him with irritation.

"We are going to need to add a few other opponents to his training regiment if we are going to keep him from being bored."

"Bastard!" one of the boys growled as Syaoran kicked his leg out from under him. Syaoran spun around and met swords with the next of the boys. The third slashed downward at him, but was out maneuvered by the young master as he leapt back, avoiding the blow. The Kendo stick rang out with a loud crack on the hard ground as the boy cursed loudly while clutching his hand.

Syaoran leapt between them with a double kick that caught the first near the collar bone and second lower on the stomach. The two were thrown back with thuds as he landed in a crouch on the warm mat. 

The first of his opponents had recovered, and now charged him with sword raised. Syaoran leapt back as the sword cracked against the ground like the snapping of a whip. The aggressor was pursuing him with all his might as the sword struck the ground again and again in pursuit of Syaoran that had left the attacker's adrenaline pumping to such an extent that it no longer seemed a training session, but mortal combat... the young sorcerer spun around and blocked a potentially lethal blow with his weapon. With a grunt of effort Syaoran pushed the youth off balance and drove the ball of his bare foot into his side.

"He is enjoying this..." Lerae said in a detached tone. Meilin turned to look at her and nodded slightly in agreement..

"His style is very aggressive..." she remarked as he sent one youth to his knees with a strong slash to the stomach that caused the boy to drop his weapon and crumble to the ground gasping. He turned to the next with a graceful spin kick that didn't connect as hard as he wanted, but did throw the attacker off his balance.

The fight continued with dazzling speed as the remaining two chopped at him with almost deadly intent as the young sorcerer pivoted his body with limitless proficiency and a dexterity result of years of martial arts. The two who now attacked him were gifted martial artists who had trained with Syaoran for years, though never were they in the same class. 

Meilin noted that Jin Adoraim Li, who was the same age as Syaoran, was originally a pupil of a more combative martial art that favored speed and power over refign of agility. He then developed his own style from the basis of that, and a more ancient style that originated in the deserts. The basis is focusing more on overwhelming the adversary with a bombardment of power strikes that force the opponent into a defensive posture.

"The majority of its influences comes from Egyptian and Polynesian fighting styles. It's impressive, very aerobic, but it's no match for the more refined techniques. Syaoran has been teaching Jin that over the last few weeks, taking him apart until he will decide to reevaluate his style and integrate a few other techniques that will balance it out more. You'd never know it, but they like each other, in a 'I'm going to kill you' kinda way. Rivals. They are both really gifted martial artists, but I don't think Jin is going to adapt his style until Syaoran sends him to the healers for a month. He's too set in his ways" 

Meilin was one of the more respected martial artists in the clan. Syaoran's skills were tempered in the fact that he was to be leader, and that he trained primarily alone. Those two factors tended to keep him isolated from the others where Meilin was always willing to spar or offer coaching to a fellow fighter. Even though many of the pupils were irritated in the beginning to be bested by a girl, she was respected by all and soon grew to be liked by many. She was as strong and hard as many of the li clan were, but she also had a kindness that made her advice feel free of all belittlement and constructive. There was even talk that she would take the place of head instructor once the current master retired.

The second opponent made a lunge for Syaoran, but over committed himself, and thus Syaoran spun around and brought the weapon hard against his back. The youth cried out and rolled to the floor where he remained. 

The two remaining warriors paused for a moment to regard each other, but then shot to action in a dazzling series of strikes, blocks, and kicks that rang out through the stone walls like the clank of armor in a silent cathedral. Their weapons struck with immense force as Syaoran met Jin blow for blow. Jin was putting up a good front, but Syaoran was growing board with the excersize. He leapt forward, just under a downward strike. Jin was too stunned to respond quick enough as Syaoran knocked the sword from his hands and seized it in his spare hand. Jin kicked, but the veteran fighter dropped low and swept the boy's feet from under him. 

Jin was already getting up when he came face to face with Syaoran. The sorcerer's eyes gleamed like molten flame as he stared down into Jin with a coldness that turned his skin to gooseflesh. 

"It's over... you lost." Jin noticed a pinching sensation at his neck, and even more so when he realized that it was caused by the two swords held across one another like massive scissors by the future leader of his clan. Syaoran's eyes cast off animal eyeshine in the dark contrasts between dark shadows and slashes of bright light. They hung there for a moment as the sound of their breathing rasped out across the tomb-like dojo. 

Syaoran dropped the two swords and moved off the stunned fighter. He didn't look back to meet Jin's gaze. It was clear to them both just how far apart they were, Syaoran had been playing, and now the game was clearly over. He walked over to a bench and withdrew the white towel which had been left for him by one of the attendants. He blotted his brow and then hung it over his shoulders.

The other two sparring partners had backed away from him as though he had grown horns and claws during the corse of the fight. Fear shone in their eyes, an irrational fear, but a fear that came from their cores. They were silent as they went to opposite benches to sit and recover their equilibriums.

Meilin hopped from her seat and walked over to Jin who was now sitting upright on the mat, fumbling with the cumbersome faceplate and shoulder guards. She knelt beside him and helped the youth undo the knots which held them in place. He slipped the shoulder-guards off as she delicately lifted away the face mask.

Jin's blond hair cascaded downward to his brow as the mask was removed. He was a handsome young man; sapphire eyed with bronze skin, he looked as though he were raised on a surfboard. His hair was shaggy and a mix of platinum blond hair with dark blond undertones, his face was well shaped with good definition and a natural winsomely quality that only was betrayed by a series of four pale scars running from his jaw to cheek on the left side of his face.

Jin was only half Asian, his mother was born in Korea while his father was born and raised in the sunny land of California. His two loves in life were the sea and the martial arts; as a descendent of the li clan on his father's side, at the age of fourteen Jin decided he would like to accept the offer to train in the ancestral home of his family. He had lived amongst them ever since, spending most of his time in this dojo and on the nearby shore.

Meilin liked Jin, he had many qualities that reminded her of the unattainable Syaoran. She knelt beside him as he looked over at the young sorcerer. He had made his way to one of the training dummies and was now performing kick after kick. He wasn't the least bit peaked by the combat.

"How does he do it?" Jin asked Meilin as Syaoran performed a graceful double kick, then landed as though he were a as light and as graceful as a heron. Jin's gaze met Meilin's with a soft expression. She reached over and lay a cool hand on his hot cheek. She smiled at the soft blush on the young martial artist's face.

"He's been training like this since he was walking Jin. You haven't been training out at his level."

"It doesn't matter, he'd have taken me apart just as easily if I had a few years on him. I sense it in him... like he's...." He paused in perplexity as a fitting word escaped him. Jin possessed a little telepathy, it wasn't the same as being a mind reader, more like a supernatural empathy. It gave him considerable insights into people, and also made him one on a short list that liked the cold boy-prince, Syaoran even though it was not visibly reciprocated.

"I don't mind being beaten, but I would at least like him to have to take me seriously.."

"Then Train harder!" Syaoran called from were he was still practicing jump kicks. Meilin scowled as she turned away from him and back to Jin.

"How about you and I do a little work on your style? I've been training with him since the beginning. I know the areas where your technique needs refign, and also some little tricks that would make you a lot more formidable to him." he smiled a little as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. 

"Well if teacher insists..."

"It's a date." he blushed at the comment as she rose to her feet and made her way to the weapon wrack. Seizing a throwing knife in her hand she turned. Some of the other pupils groaned at what was coming, they had all seen that heat in the terra cotta eyed martial artist before. Lerae seemed amused as she watched.

With a flick of her wrist Meilin let the blade fly tword Syaoran who remained unaware till the last moment and barely was able to sidestep the knife. It buried itself into the wooden training dummy's groin area with a cringe-worthy thunk! Syaoran turned to look at where the knife had been planted and then back to the raven haired warrior who smirked dangerously with a raised eyebrow.

"You have problems cousin..." he replied as he reached over and worked the blade from the wooden dummy's crotch.

"You're very talented Syaoran, but you'd do well to remember that there is always someone better..." 

"And are you that someone?" he grinned.

"No... but it's a good lesson to keep close to heart.... or close to other things." she motioned to the dummy. Syaoran paused for a moment then laughed. Oddly enough his laughter made the other pupils more nervous then before.

"Thank you for the lesson, master" he bowed with a slight laugh. 

"Syaoran, I have an issue to discuss with you." Lerae said as she rose up from the bench, her pale dress ruffling as she moved. He turned to her and nodded slightly. She left the dojo hesitantly and followed close behind, as if fearful of what was to be discussed.

  
  
  
  
  
  


*********************

  
  
  
  


The day had begun as many had before it, the clan was busy as various cells did their specific tasks. Gardeners dressed green knelt by a small embracement of flowers and other foliage, some with trowels and others pruning sheers while other still carried no tool save that of their unique gifts. A woman with coppery hair knelt beside a seedling, her touch had an instant effect on the small sprout, with magical speed the tiny green shoot rose upward tword the sun, leaves bursting from the stalk while buds formed and then exploded into bloom. The woman took her hands from the newly born thicket of white flowers with a smile. Her voice was soft and birdlike as she spoke to the new life.

"You did very well.."

Syaoran could smell the spices and aromas wafting from the kitchen, where lunch was being prepared. The aromas of home, flowers in the gardens, scrumptious spices from the kitchen, and the gentle fragrance of the neighboring ocean. It was so familiar to him, but none the less magical. His mother now walked beside him in her usual regalness.

"You love this place do you not?"

"Of corse, it's my home" he replied with a touch of bewilderment to her odd question.

"I know that my son, but I sense an sorrow within... a longing for another place." Syaoran hung his head, he knew how deep his mother's powers went, and thus lying was futile.

"I feel alone here, stifled too. I train every day and get stronger, but there's no goal anymore... my magic grows, but it seems hollow now. I love this island mother, the clan, but a part of me feels caged here."

"I appreciate your honesty my son. I have sensed these things in you for a time now, an emptiness coupled with a desolation. You are no good to the clan in such a state." he looked up frantically.

"No! I will never let any of these feelings interfere with my destiny as leader!" he paused in his stride and looked at her with shock and apallment that she could think he would. He would bear any burden for his clan, and the chance to shape the clan.

" I do not cast question upon your place as our leader, but you are alone here. No king, emperor, or leader can truly be effective if they suffer as you do. You find no joy in this existence for the most part." she was too entune, Syaoran felt almost violated as she plucked the very thoughts from his mind. In her gaze, he was utterly transparent.

"I know you would not have come to address this with me unless you had some corse of action in mind. Lets hear it mother..." he replied as he continued walking with her down the great winding steps which lead to the beach. Already he could feel the cool sea air as it tousled his hair. Lerae didn't walk as much as she glided down the stairs with her mystical grace.

"The seers have made a prediction, which I followed up last night."

"Oh? About me?"

"No, a girl. She possesses considerable potential in the mystical arts. But as is the case with many, there are no ways to develop that potential. I deemed that a teacher be sent from the clan to teach her to control her mystical powers. And I have come to see if you would be willing to act as her instructor." Syaoran stared at her in perplexity as she smirked with whimsical amusement.

"But mother, I am the future leader of our clan. Not to appear conceited, but surely she doesn't warrant my attention. The council would never permit me to leave like that."

"This girl warrants all our attention. So many destinies tie to hers it is as though she is the axis from which the clan will someday turn. That is of corse, if she comes to develop that power.

I would prefer you not undertake this mission, but I cannot deny that it warrants our best. And you would fit that role perfectly I feel. As a mother I would refuse to even consider you for this, knowing what it will cost, but you are soon to be leader of our people and I cannot mother and coddle you. Our leader must stand on his own two feet and make his decisions for himself." for the first time in his life she seemed old rather then ageless. It was as if the weight of this was crushing her, leaving her only her great strength as matriarch to stand.

"What makes this girl so vital? If it is as you say, why does our fate revolve around her? What makes her so special?"

"There are many reasons why she is so important, but among those there is one fact which I think you will find compelling enough on its own." she looked at him sadly, knowing what this would mean for him.

"She is the mistress of the Clow cards..."

  
  
  
  


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Jin sat with Meilin on a stone bridge that crossed a small creek which babbled in the ageless words of cascading water. Their bare feet dangled from the bridge as they stared out at where it vanished amidst a bend in the tree-line. 

Jin was dressed in a flamboyant shirt of blues and soft yellows with long shorts that made him seem even more the surfer. He defied that stereotype only by the tone of his voice which was as rich and sweet as molasses. He had a captivating voice and a captivating heart, in that his mystical empathy opened himself to caring for others deeply. He was as hard as ice in the training arena, but that ice melted to warm water out of it. He was very easygoing and seemed to enjoy the time he spent here with her lounging in the sun or near the sea.

"You know I should be embarrassed having a girl stand up to Li like that in my place." she laughed at his words.

"He's a hard person to get to know, I do know him. It's not competitory with us, it wouldn't be taken like that if you tried to put him in his place."

"He'd have taken it as an insult?"

"It's possible... Syaoran is in a situation that none of us could understand. All he has is his pride in many ways."

"How so?"

"Don't talk about what I tell you."

"If it's a secret between you two I won't ask Meilin...."

"If it was a secret between him and I, I wouldn't have even thought of telling. It's just something sensitive."

"I understand.." he replied hesitantly as he stared into her beautiful gaze.

"You know how strict the clan is on their future leaders. Well Syaoran has lost a lot of things because of it. The one that hurts the most is that he had a girl he was in love with. She lives in japan and he lives here... he can't be with her because of his obligation to lead this clan." Jin's gaze softened.

"That... must be terrible."

"He is the way he is because since all he can have is the clan, he wants to be the best. He's given up so much to become its leader, he's alone inside. I know he seems cold and mean Jin, but he does like you, but he's also jealous of you. You can have what he can never have." her words were soft and gentle.

"I wasn't sure if coming here was right for a while. My dad told me about the clan, it seemed so strange and unreal. I almost went back to California a few times after coming here and seeing so many incredible and scary things, but now it feels like home to me. I think that's due to you in a lot of ways." Meilin blinked as he smiled at her.

"What I mean is... I wonder if this feels like home to Li, or if it feels Like japan is his home." Meilin smiled gently at Jin. She reached out and took his hand in her own. he blushed and she smiled more because of it.

"You're sure you're not embarrassed to be with me? I'm still one of the guys you know. I'm not a flower of a girl with a pretty dress and an ornate hairstyle like Syaoran's sisters. I could never be that way, and a lot of people would think that makes me less. They look like princesses with jasmine scented balm, not fighters soaked in sweat." she had a soft tone to her voice that didn't tremble, but did portray a kind of fragility as though she could crumble to sand. Jin looked at her, her hair was mussed and tousled. She had small scars on her arms and legs from training. Her face was adorned with no makeup just as her neck lay barren of all jewelry. Her eyes were not the eyes of a doe in a meadow, but the eyes of a falcon which shone with a fierceness and clarity of any great bird of prey. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

"You're not a flower Meilin, you're a sword. You aren't made to be beautiful, but you are in the same way a sword has a kind of dangerous beauty. You aren't a princess, just like I'm not a prince, we're fighters... we live in sweat and sore muscle. Fighters' skin is scarred, and that doesn't make it any less. I'm not Li Syaoran, I'm no great sorcerer and I'm not a warrior in the same way he is... but I am like you. I could care less if anyone sees you as unfeminine, I see you as you are... And I find that more enticing then any china doll." 

He leaned over and kissed her. he was hesitant at first in this, simply touching his lips to hers, but then the two began deepening the kiss as a passion sparked like flint between them. Jin's hand pulled her head to his as the two hungrily kissed. Jin was suddenly shocked to feel Meilin push him onto his back. He caught only a faint flash of a mischievous grin as he submitted to her completely. She threw a leg over him so that she now straddled him and resumed the kiss. Jin's mind swam with euphoric tremors as he was reaffirmed in his preference of the two types of girls, the delicate opposed to the tomboyish. His mind swam as he felt Meilin's tongue probing his mouth with libidinous movements. He submitted happily to the carnality of the girl's warrior nature and loved every second of it.

  
  


  
  


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"Sakura!?" Syaoran gaped in shock. His eyes wide and almost aglow with supernatural light.

"Yes, the card mistress has chosen her path to walk. She has decided to become a true sorceress and give her life to the magic which we all serve. Her potential is without limit, and more importantly, her nature will make for a wise and level-headed sorceress.

In the past, those with the degree of power the two of you posses have been corrupted by it. I raised you to respect and honor the power you possess, and to use that power in the service of those who need its protection. Sakura on the other hand has had no such teaching, but instead is blessed with a heart of purity without measure. She will not be corrupted by the magic, but will purify it within herself." Lerae's skin shined in the radiant sunlight which glowed silver around her as her aura mingled with the magics native to this isle.

"My son, Sakura will make for a worthy sorceress, and when united with our clan's magic... The two of you will soon surpass me. I am confident in you, Sakura would do well if guided by your knowledge, and your discipline."

"I'll do it! I will leave immediately for japan!" his eyes shined as he turned to run back and begin preparation. Lerae scowled softly as she made a small gesture with her hand in his direction. The boy was seized by the force of her will and turned to face her. his eyes were wide with shock and hurt as he gaped at her mystically glowing eyes.

"What is it mother? You said you wanted me to go. I didn't mean any disrespect, I was just enthusiastic."

"Never did I say I wanted you to go. Though the choice will be yours, we are not done yet my son..." her voice was harsh and stung him even as she released him from her grip.

"What else must be discussed right now?" he said with a touch of hurt in his voice.

"I must know your heart. Are you in love with the card mistress?" he blinked, then his gaze darkened at the tone she had used in relation to his feelings for Sakura. She nearly spat the words card mistress.

"You're a mind reader, why bother asking." he scowled as his aura flared to flames. This would not come to blows, but neither was backing down.

"I know what I know Syaoran, but I want to hear the truth from your own lips. Do you love this girl?" his dark eyes flashed with a fierceness that was becoming of any leader of the li clan.

"I love Sakura Avalon with all that I am." he growled out as she looked down. He was more angry then he could ever recall being, but that all shifted to shock and remorse as he watched her crumple to her knees on the sandy beach and softly cry. He had never seen her cry before, he never even thought her capable of it. She had always been a pillar of strength from which he could depend, never had he witnessed her like this. He tried to speak but only managed the word "why?" She looked up to him with tears streaming down her ivory cheeks. Her voice was wracked with sorrow as she uttered one word that made Syaoran's blood turn to ice and his eyes pool with fear.

"Legacy..."

"No... it's too early!" he was pale as he looked at her with disbelief.

"She became their mistress far earlier then any of their previous owners. The oracles have foreseen the coming of the legacy. The fact that you love her.... oh Syaoran, I would beg you to stay far away from the girl. But I know that you will not." she looked up to him and cringed at what she saw within his heart.

"I was cursed with magic... no mother should be able to know what I know. You will go to her now, even if I forbid it. You are too much your father. You will go to her and be with her in the end."

"I can't leave her to face this alone... the legacy would destroy her." Lerae closed her eyes and willed the tears to stop. She summoned the strength she had cultivated since her husband died. The last time she cried was when he left her, and now she had cried again when she realized beyond all doubt that her son faced the same curse. 

"Will you try and stop me mother?"

"I told you this because I owed it to you as the leader of our clan. I could no sooner stop you as I could stop the legacy from coming to pass. If going to japan and teaching Sakura is your will, so be it. If standing with her to face legacy is also your will... it will kill me, but I will submit to your decision." he knelt beside her and hugged her fiercely. Normally such contact would be seen as too emotional, and unbecoming of the future leader, but this time both mother and son disregarded all protocol.

"You know what I must do..." he replied softly. 

" I shall make the preparations and the announcement to the great counsel."

  
  


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Time flew for him as he was prepared for his place as Sakura's teacher. He was given books and suggestions from his old teacher on the lessons he should give her. the more Syaoran listened, the more certain he became that he would be able to guide her through this. For at the core of all teaching there is a love, surely by that rule he would make for a good teacher.

Syaoran stood at the window in his room overlooking the clan so far below. He could see most of the buildings from his window, the sun gleamed off of them as if each wall were bronze. Knowing what was coming, he probably wouldn't see this place again, and so he recorded every angle into his memory. A helicopter had been dispatched to collect the young lord, it now waited on the large stone mesa which bordered the jungle on a steep drop off. He could hear its whirring engines in the distance. The servants had already collected his baggage and taken it to the chopper. The pilot, a member of the clan, would be waiting to take him to the clan's jet which waited at the Hong Kong airport, from there, japan.

His mother had told the council, and they had accepted her perposal. The first son of the Li clan would go forth to japan once again, this time to make the card mistress into a true sorceress. He would leave his people behind, probably forever, now that the legacy grows near. He looked forward to seeing Sakura again, but had some sorrow at saying goodbye to Meilin and the others. He didn't love many of those in the clan, but he would miss the familiarity of it all. He walked over to his bed, where a black silk shirt waited. He slipped it on and buttoned it to the collar, it felt cool on his warm skin. 

His room was warm with topical heat. The decorum as simple as the room of a monk who put all thought to the heavens, and little to his own tiny niche of earth. There were dressers, a desk, a chair for that desk, a few lamps, several candles, and an incense burning dragon carved from a honey colored wood. The room was not for luxury, but mearly the place Syaoran slept and dressed. To the right of the bed there was a small hall which lead off to a large bathroom that was standard with all the rooms in this wing of the great house. There was a large tub that also acted as a Jacuzzi, one of the few amenities Syaoran made use of. The hot churning water helped him relax and ease his sore muscles just as the incense burner did. He would not miss this room, for he never actually lived within it; just slept.

There was a soft knock at the door, then Meilin stepped forward without waiting for his permission. She had done this since she was a child, barging in after a soft rapping that offered no chance at being told to wait before opening. Once, Syaoran had thought she did this in the hopes of the perverse thrill of walking in on him getting out of the tub, or changing. But after her obsession for him had cooled and she still continued to do it, he decided it was just another idiosyncracy that made Meilin, Meilin. He never chastised her for it anymore, not just because it would be pointless, but because it is these quirks that made the young fighter one of the few people in the clan he loved as family.

She was dressed up... snowy white kimono with pearl colored trimmings, and a black sash. She looked beautiful in such garbs, but she was not at home in them, and thus he preferred her in the clothes she sparred in, that was Meilin, not the silk she wore now. Her hair was pulled back in a headdress that sparkled of silver and dark stones. Tiny teardrops of silver and pearl clinched softly as she moved.

"You're ready to leave Syaoran?" she had a sadness in her voice.

"Yeah, all packed, just making sure I didn't miss anything."

"You're going to get to see Sakura again, send her all my love." she smiled at him.

"Of corse I will... have you heard?"

"The legacy? Yeah... it's going to be hard, on both of you..."

"How are you handling it?" he probed softly.

"I am part of the li clan, we have known about the legacy for so long... It makes me sad knowing, but it's destiny." her voice was small. She turned to him with a sad little grin on her face. "you know what?"

"What?"

"Destiny sucks." she laughed, and then he joined her. it was not belly laughs, but the small laughter of a sad joke. She walked over to him and opened her arms for him.

There was once a time that Li Syaoran could not comprehend what could be gained by such contact. He couldn't fathom doing it under any circumstance with Meilin. And now as he grabbed hold of his cousin in such an embrace he could not fathom not doing it. She tucked her head under his chin and whimpered sadly. He held her for a few moments until she pulled away and smiled at him.

"It's good that Sakura will have you to help her through this..." she smiled and looked out to his window.

"You know Jin? I'm seeing him." he blinked at her.

"You and Jin are together? Wow..."

"What do you think of that?"

"He makes you happy?"

"Yeah."

"Then I am really happy for you cousin. How did it happen? He sure as hell didn't impress you with his martial arts skill." he joked.

"He's sweet... also, he reminds me of you." Syaoran blinked.

"A different you. He acts like you would if you were never groomed for leadership. He's as sweet and kind, but not as hard as you are. He never had to go through what you did. So I see him as a more idealistic you." He paused to think of what he could say.

"Then that would make him the better of the two." Syaoran smiled slightly.

"No, just different." she squeezed his shoulder.

"It's time you know... the helicopter is waiting. Are you ready?" he looked over at her and then back out the window.

"I don't know... but I'm going."

  
  


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The path to where the helicopter waited was strewn with Syaoran's clansmen. Every man woman and child who worked or lived in the li clan stood now on either side of the stone path. They were dressed in the same attire as Meilin, all bowing to him as he passed. He could feel their auras radiating together as he walked amongst them. looking ahead, he saw the great councilmen. Each of them dressed in the regal white and black robes that signified their place just as much as the ashen features and greyish white beards they wore. They looked at him as he passed, they disapproved of this no doubt, but against the will of the matriarch even they had to bow. Meilin stood beside Lerae who stood next to the platform where the black helicopter waited with rotors spinning.

"Good luck to you my son, I have faith that your actions shall bring honor to the clan." as she spoke her aura reached out and engulfed him in a embrace. He could sense her sorrow and fear that this would be the last time she would see him. He smiled, turned to her and bowed.

"I will mother..."

His attention turned to Meilin and Jin who stood side by side in the row of clansmen. With a smirk he stepped tword them. he could sense the apprehension in Jin's mind as he reached out with his will and took hold of the boy. His eyes went wide as Syaoran reached out and touched his forehead, sending him the image of a fist formed around his throat in a tight crushing grip. He spoke into the boy's mind with all the ease of speaking to his ears.

"I know about you and Meilin... treat her well or I will make you regret not doing so." just for fun he had the mental image of the choked throat deteriorate into steaming goo. The image turned Jin's skin pale.

"Make sure you obey teacher." he smirked out loud as he reached out and patted the boy's shoulders. Meilin giggled.

"You can bet he will!"

Syaoran continued tword the helicopter, his hair violently whipping in the hot winds it kicked off. He slipped into the seat and without deliberation was lifted off and away from the grounds of the clan, possibly never to return. It shone like a jewel surrounded by the mantle of blue water. The whole ordeal was carried out with no deliberation, so much of his life was made to be that way. Don't linger, accept destiny where it comes, if you are meant to do this no sense arguing the point by taking your time.

He tried not to think of all he would miss, the possibility that he would never return. Instead he focused on Sakura. He wondered if her eyes still shined the same way they had as a child, or if they had a different light now. He knew that time, not even in the measure of years, could dull the shine in those eyes, they were as eternal as the magic which brought them into this world. He felt butterflies in his stomach as he imagined seeing her again, feeling her aura touch his. Fate had separated them for too long, and as a fool he accepted fate as immutable. Now as he flew back to her he had the epiphany that fate is not inflexible. He was up against impossible odds knowing what was looming in the distance for them, but he would not so easily give up. He would not give up at all. He had been ordained by fate to go to japan and meet Sakura, fall in love with her, then leave. Never again would he accept destiny when it tried to rip her from him.

He would never leave her again. He had known it was wrong all those years ago, and only now, as he returned to her, did he start to feel right again, this would be his second chance at doing it right. This time he would not leave her, even if it meant staying at her side as a spirit.

He looked back tword the clan only to find it was almost out of site, lost in the haze of both mind and eye.

  
  


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Sakura sat on the sofa with Kero resting in her lap. The tiny winged rodent was practically purring as Sakura gently rubbed him with her finger. The soft little guardian beast was happily snoozing under his mistress's touch, Sakura envied his easygoing nature while she herself was a bundle of nerves. She was dressed up in one of her more showy dresses. Whites and pink pastel colors with a skirt that terminated just above her knees. This was the dress she wore when she had to go to one of her father's fund raisers, or another event where she needed to look fancy, yet not alluring.

Madison had stocked her up with enough dresses that could advertise features she wasn't even sure she had. They were fun to wear, casting an aura of mystery, sexiness, or making her seem older then she was. But today she didn't want any of that, just to look credible.

Her father had surprised her with the news over breakfast, causing her to nearly choke on a bite of egg. She didn't know what to say, but was thrilled by the prospect of a member of Syaoran's family coming to teach her real magic. Maybe the teacher she would get would be the very one who first taught Syaoran. He was scheduled to be coming any time now, and so she waited on the family room sofa just feet from the door. 

She wondered what he would be like... perhaps a handsome young man, more likely the stereotypical view of a wizard, wrinkles and a beard. Maybe they would send a sorceress to be her mentor, that had its own appeal to her. she was smiling despite all efforts of controlling herself, she could hardly wait to start learning the magics Syaoran had possessed. 

She had tried sensing her teacher, but was disappointed to find nothing in the way of great magic. In fact she felt no aura. Kero explained that there was a new magic close by, but that it was being masked for whatever purpose. At a more in depth search of the spiritual energies around them she felt what must be her new teacher. It was hidden, she could sense nothing of the person, only the mass of his mystical energy that caused a pressure on all the other forces around him. It was like looking into a pond and seeing a massive fish swim underneath the stillness. She could detect nothing other then the sheer force which he commanded. He would be a great teacher, unlocking secrets she had been struggling with for years. Perhaps she was putting too much faith in this tutor, but somehow she knew that this would be a very good thing.

As a means of distracting herself from the bombshell her father had dropped, and the eternity it would take before he would get here, she told Kero about the vision. The tiny beast had pondered over it for a few minutes before suggesting that maybe it was just a nightmare and not a vision.. But to keep her eyes out just in case. Normally Sakura trusted everything the tiny beast told her as if it came from the mouth of god, but Kero seemed hesitant on this subject. He had seemed nervous when she recanted the part where she came in contact with the black thing. She never had reason to doubt Kero before, but she did suspect he may know more about the black creature then he was letting on. That alone scared her, it signified something that they were trying to protect her from. Something bad...

"Nervous?" Fujitaka questioned as he sat in the reclining leather chair. He smiled at her warmly before cracking open the book in his lap.

"A little... I wish he'd get here." she replied as Touya sat on the other end of the sofa and rolled his eyes at her. she tried to ignore him and returned her attention to Kero as his tiny leg drummed with almost canine pleasure when she scratched him in a good spot.

"He's probably just delayed by the rain." Fujitaka remarked with a gesture tword the window which was distorted by the water which ran down it as the tiny beads of rain pinged against the glass in suicidal collisions. The storm had come up unexpectedly, it was a heavy downpour but there was little in the way of lightning or strong winds.

"Can't the guy just make it stop raining?" Touya smirked while Sakura turned to glare at him.

"I really hope he teaches me a spell to improve your personality"

"I quake with terror.." he replied sarcastically. She growled at him and woke Kero. The tiny beast cocked his head and looked at them.

"Good morning. He here yet?" Kero hopped from Sakura's lap and with a flash of golden light, transformed into his true form. he yawned loudly, displaying his massive pearly incisors.

"No."

"All you do is sleep and eat." Touya quipped as he reached out and poked the lion's pudgy stomach. Kero snapped at his retreating digit, more for show then for vengeance.

"I am not fat, I am a growing beast! As for the napping, this weather always does it to me. My power does come from the sun, so it's only natural I get a little sleepy on cloudy days like this." He leaned over and lay his massive head in Sakura's open hand. She smiled sweetly to him as she reached over and rubbed him behind his ears. He purred softly as his beautiful golden eyes closed and he started to drift.

"Touya, be nice. Kero is a very sensitive lion."

"Guardian beast. Lions don't breath fire" he grunted without opening his eyes.

"They also aren't attached to pigeon wings" Touya smirked as Kero opened an eye in annoyance.

"Remind me to bite him when the sun comes out, ok Sakura?"

"No problem."

The soft melodious chime of the doorbell rang through the house. They all froze and turned to the door. Sakura's heart was pounding with fear and excitement. Her father looked to her.

"Do you want to get it?"

"Umm... no, you get it." she chuckled nervously. He smiled at her and reached over to squeeze her shoulder. She grinned appreciatively as he walked over to the door and opened it.

At first Sakura couldn't see who was at the door. She listened as he and her father talked. He identified himself as her instructor and shook Fujitaka's hand. As he stepped through the threshold Sakura blinked. He was dressed in a wet black trench coat with the collar up. He also wore a dark hat that obscured his face further. Immediately he turned to Sakura and cocked his head. She stood and bowed under his inspection.

She had grown so beautiful that he could barely keep the game going. He had hoped to surprise her by masking his aura and hiding his face until the right moment, remembering how she loved surprises, but looking at her almost shook him from his concentration. She had let her hair grow, it now hung at her shoulders like a shroud with golden ginger hue. her skin was smooth and the color of cream. He had dreamed of her for so long, but to see her now... to actually look upon her pink lips and delicate form, no longer that of a child, but the form of a woman. He didn't dare meet her gaze, though he saw that the shine of childhood had only brightened with maturity in the gemstones of her eyes.

"Hello, I am Sakura. Your student." she fidgeted nervously under the strange feeling she was getting from him. He couldn't find the breath to speak to her, just stare.

Kero had been looking at the two quizzically, there almost seemed to be flirtation between Sakura and the young man. He was tall and lean, but didn't radiate age. He seemed far too spry to be a traditional master which usually would mean great age. Kero decided this youth must be a prodigy amongst the li clan. He took a whiff of the strangers scent and froze. One sniff was enough to alarm him, the second was enough to confirm his private nightmare. He collapsed onto the ground with a loud thud that drew the attention of everyone in the room.

"Oh no... not him!" he groaned as the stranger chuckled.

"Kero!" Sakura turned with mortification at the lion's rudeness.

"It would seem his nose is able to detect other things then mere sweets." the youth chuckled. Sakura turned with perplexity to the young teacher.

"Do I know you?"

"So I don't seem familiar?" he smirked through his somewhat-disguised voice.

"You d..." he cut her off as he laughed a very familiar laugh that caused her eyes to widen at a sudden similarity.

"Would this help Sakura?" with a flash, he dropped all shrouding of her aura and she nearly fell over in the tidal wave of mystical essence which flooded the room and her senses. She had noticed a similarity before, but now as she felt his true aura she was barely breathing. With a laugh of sheer jubilance the boy pulled off his hat and coat.

"Syaoran?" she gasped as she stared at him in seeming disbelief. The world seemed to blur around them as though all else were just a dream on the verge of waking. She looked at him as he stared back at her with a small smile on his lips. They had been apart so long that seeing each other seemed unreal. Sakura took a step tword him and reached out with her hand. He closed it within his own in a wordless gesture that dispelled any fear this was just a cruel dream.

"Syaoran!" she suddenly squeaked as she shot forward and was closed in his arms. He held her to him and smiled warmly into her sweet smelling hair. The two auras mingled together once again.

  
  
  
  


Once upon a time man looked to magic to answer his questions and explain his world.

As time passed, man stopped looking to magic for his answers.

The world was explained, but an emptiness was born in such knowledge.

To fill the emptiness man looked to faith, and once again, found magic.

Magic is with us always, the only change is how we perceive it.

  
  
  
  


Not the end...


	2. Of Smoke and Shadow

Disclaimer. I don't own em. Well chapter 2 is officially done. I apologize for all the delays with them. college professors have no respect for fan fics. Sigh. This chapter is basically pure S&S goodness. I don't have enough secondary characters to have the story move like I like it. So it gets a little linear jumping from scene with Syaoran and Sakura to scene with Syaoran and Sakura. The next chapters are dealing with the legacy and the origins of the Clow cards. You could probably surmise the origins by now, but I am looking forward to doing a little flashback. ^_^ 

please review, it's my first ccs fic and I would like to know if it is turning out decent or not.

Thanks ^_^

mail me at logan91235@aol.com 

  
  
  
  


Legacy

By Logan

  
  
  
  
  


Of Smoke and Shadow.

  
  
  
  
  
  


The apartment was furnished for comfort over style. Soft hazy rays of light filtered through the picture window and made the wooden floor shine with a golden ocher. The furniture was of a modern style, but made for comfort as opposed to style. The decorum was sparse, but it radiated with a pleasant aura. Syaoran had spent a full day in the creation of the interior, summoning up his furniture and other temporary things which he would return to nothingness after his time in japan was over. He hoped it would be a very long time before that eventuality.

The air smelled of rose incense and herbs from the kitchen. Some of them were for cooking, the rest for brewing concoctions that ranged from healing ointments to sacramental timber to be burned in cleansing spells that may or may not be deemed necessary, depending on the situation. Sedum dragon's blood grew in a pot in the back of the apartment. It was a pretty flower, grown by many for it's beautiful red foliage, but grown by Syaoran for its part in a mystical ritual that would regrettably become necessary soon. When mixed with a collaboration of other herbs and the drippings from the user's blood, then burned, created a mystical smoke which would be used to endo a blade with a specific magic.

He had made this apartment so livable for her benefit... teaching Sakura would be impossible in a house filled with two skeptics who loathed him enough to make his time there as close to hell as they were able to make it. The majority of their sessions were spent with her studying texts and him acting only when she was stumped on a detail. She was a good student, the beginning was hardest, but Syaoran sensed she would soon be absorbing the principles in no time. 

Syaoran sighed as he leaned back in his chair and thumbed to the next page of the book he had borrowed from Sakura. He found it amusing in a satirical sense due to the fact that it was about wizards and matters of magic. Though entertaining, it couldn't get any harder to believe unless there was a sudden invasion in the form of an alien armada. Unfortunately the way the book was going that would probably be next to come about. He raised and eyebrow and cast a glance to Sakura.

She was sitting at the other end of the sofa struggling with the spell book he had given her as a study guide. He was enjoying watching her like this, she had an adorable look of bewilderment as she tried to make sense out of some of the more challenging aspects of this particular spell.

"This book is a joke, I cannot believe it's yours." she glanced up at him and smiled sheepishly.

"It's not, I borrowed it from Madison. It's one of her favorites."

"Ah, say no more. This is definitely Madison's style. Strange and overboard." he smirked.

"Now Syaoran, a healthy dramatic flair is a good thing" she quoted in her best Madison impression. Syaoran smirked and then turned his attention to the brown spell book in her lap.

"Having trouble?" she slumped in irritation.

"It doesn't make sense. It tells you only a few words, but a full page of what you are supposed to feel and concentrate on when saying the words." he nodded and rose from his chair and moved to her side. He sat close to her and neither of the two minded the proximity.

"Magic isn't like it seems in the movies, it's never just rhyming lyrics, magic phrases, or Latin incantations. Magic is felt more then it is said. You control it inside you, not with words but with your feelings and thoughts. Ironically, the magic words are the least important part of casting a spell. if you continue developing the capacity to make magic without talismans or spells, it gets to the point you don't need words for it." he accentuated his word with a small gesture of his hand which began wafting with white smoke. Sakura watched in awe as the spiraling plumes of white smoke formed into the image of a cherry blossom tree which blew softly in the nonexistent winds. He maintained the image for a moment until finally, with a grin, waved his hand and dispersed the smoke.

"That's amazing..." she awed as he grinned to her. he had a smile that could warm her whole body in a way that possessed more magic then anything she had ever felt from the cards, she wished he would show it more. He made no effort to move away from her and instead took her hand in his. She was blushing as he used his other hand to manipulate her palm open. He spooned her hand with his own beneath it and withdrew his other hand.

"Be calm and focus on my hand underneath yours. Let me handle the concentration on the spell, you just focus on an image. Don't think of anything else except the image you want the smoke to take." his voice was low and almost sultry as he whispered against her ear. She felt a soft blush warm on her cheeks as she let her mind come to an image. With a hesitant voice she whispered the incantation from the book.

Tiny tendrils of nebulous rosy smoke ascended from the crevice between each of her fingers. The misty apparition pooled in the palm of her hand and then slowly rose upward in a gentle spiral of ethereal mist. Sakura's eyes gleamed with surprise as she watched the smoke take form. from the amorphous cloud a form emerged. Appendages of mist took form and soon cast a familiar figure. She marveled at the tiny effigy of herself with so much awe that she didn't feel Syaoran's hand leaving her own. the tiny Sakura of smoke was dressed in a flowing gown that rippled in the hazy fog which obscured the figures end.

"You're doing it Sakura." Syaoran smiled as Sakura looked over to him with a childlike grin of glee. 

"You did it though?"

"No, I just helped you relax enough to be able to do it on your own. half of magic is just being open to it, embracing as opposed to writing it off as impossible or beyond you. Make her move." he replied as she turned back to the tiny effigy. 

The smoky girl stretched out her arms fluidly and made timid little gestures as if she were a child under the scrutiny of an authoritative figure. she then seemed to look over at her creators with a tiny smile and a wave of her hand.

"Very impressive, she doesn't loose her form when you have her move." Sakura grinned.

"Now lets see how quick a study you are...." he smirked at her as he tipped his hand to hers. As if it were a liquid, the misty smoke ran down his fingers and fell to her palm where it immediately formed itself into an effigy of himself. the tiny Syaoran was dressed in almost regal attire with a formal outfit complete with tasseled trimming and tails. He looked to be dressed in the same costume Syaoran had worn during the festival, just before the void card attacked. Sakura giggled with jubilance as the handsome little figure bowed dramatically to the effigy of herself.

The tiny version of Sakura curtsied to him and took his offered hand. As they touched Sakura's figure began to ripple.

"Concentrate Sakura, focus on the parts where they touch, if you don't they'll act like smoke and merge together." Sakura bit her lip in concentration and the figure solidified. The two touched again and began dancing in slow circles. 

Sakura marveled at how easy it became controlling the figure. It was as if her imagination were suddenly made completely visible and tangible. She glanced up from the show to Syaoran only to find he hadn't been watching the figures, and instead had been watching her. she smiled at him and the soft grin he had been wearing turned into a full smile. The dance went on but neither really watched it, they just continued controlling it.

"You're a fast study..."

"I have a wonderful teacher." he laughed softly and rubbed the back of his head with a faint blush.

"You think you're ready for a real trick?"

"I can try..." she replied hesitantly as Syaoran's figure dematerialized into a cloud of mist which flew to his hand as if drawn forward by vacuum. He closed his hand over it and stood up taking a few steps back. Sakura's eyes widened as he tossed the smoky figure into the air. It exploded in size and reformed itself back into Syaoran's likeness, but this time life-sized. The smoky wraith looked at Sakura's miniature figure, and then to Sakura. He smiled at her in an almost beseeching manner.

She stretched out her open hand and the girl dematerialized to a fog which swept off her fingertips and down to the floor. Sakura didn't consciously know how she did it, but picturing it alone was enough to make it real. As the smoke left her fingertips it formed itself into the same figure, but this time life-sized. She joined hands with the apparition of Syaoran. And once again the two phantoms of mist danced in utter silence. They danced as if in a trance, no smoky foot touched the ground as both specters glided on the gentle haze which swirled around them. Sakura watched with a child's awe at the magic she herself was working.

"You like this?" he asked.

"It's amazing... it's so beautiful. Can we make anything?"

"Well within reason, you are limited only by your own mind. If you stretch yourself too far you loose your grip on them and they fade. It's a simple manipulation, almost a glamor." he replied, but cut his lecture short when he noticed a touch of sadness on her face.

"What's wrong?"

"I was hoping I could make a specific person appear, but I can't remember her well enough. I was just a baby when she died..." Syaoran's eyes lowered as he realized who she was talking about. He could sense the faint tremors of sadness in her, and winced in sympathetic pain with her.

"You wanted to see your mother again didn't you?" she looked over at him and nodded. The dancers had stopped and now waited for either of their puppeteers to will their movements. They were as still as if they were painted on a massive mural.

"My father died before I was born, I never knew him... but... the people of my family don't focus on such things. he died in the most honorable way, so I am proud of him. Remembering him never was that important. But you weren't raised like I was. It must hurt you a lot to not remember her." the way he was talking about his father made Sakura aware of just how different they were. She was raised by normal people, he was raised by the Li clan. His people accepted death differently then hers did. She was broken from her thoughts as he pressed two fingers against the side of her head. She didn't know what he was doing, but did note a strange warmth that pierced her from where his fingers made contact, then through her head as if he were touching her mind.

She blinked as he took back his hand and smiled softly.

"What did you do?"

"You can read auras right?" he replied without offering her an answer.

"Yes, I'm not the greatest at it, but I can see into them."

"You know then that auras mingle with each other. any two that touch, leave a piece of themselves on the other. though sometimes it is too faint to be felt in great detail."

"Yeah, I know that." she replied as he stretched his hand out to the smoky figures which immediately lost all form and turned to a swirling mass.

"You are too new to be able to se them in the depth I can. I just sampled an aura which lingers with your own. you will someday be able to do this, but for the time being, let me to give this to you." Sakura's eyes widened as he returned his control to the formless mass of smoke. His eyes closed and he made a strange gesture with his hands that almost looked to be preying. Then with a flip of his wrists the cloud became something she had never dreamed possible.

The smoky figure was radiant and more beautiful then any picture had ever done justice. She was in her thirties, dressed in a shrouded garb of frolicsome shrouds of mist. Her hair glided and whipped in slow undulation as she looked at Sakura through her placid eyes. Her lips were full and her facial structure as perfect as Sakura had ever seen. She was smiling and Sakura felt butterflies in her stomach.

"It's my mom..." she replied softly.

"She's beautiful." Syaoran commented as he studied her.

"Yeah she is."

"You know that you look a lot like her. you both smile the same." his voice was reverently silent as he looked upon the phantom's soft grin. Sakura reached out and touched the woman on her cheek. She was as intangible as the mist which made her, despite the illusion of solidity.

"It's like she's really here..." Syaoran gently lay his hand on her shoulder. Instead of drawing away from it, she leaned into it as if seeking the warmth and the comfort his body radiated.

"She's not really gone Sakura. Her aura is part of yours, so in a way she is always with you. Just like I've always been..." he trailed off as he rested his head against hers in a silent act of comfort. She slipped her arm around him and then he her. they were silent as they sat there and watched the phantasmal woman who shared both her daughter's smile and her daughter's love.

They sat like that for a while and when Syaoran looked back at her he saw tears in her emerald eyes. He turned to her quickly with remorse in his eyes. As leader of his people he should know not to act on impulse, but to debate and weigh each action. if ever he had proof of both the appeal and the danger Sakura posed to him, it was in her capacity to make him act too fast and too rashly.

"Sakura I'm sorry. I didn't think that this would be painful for you." he was about to will the image away, but more on impulse then on conscious thought Sakura stopped him with a gesture of her own hand. He blinked. The force she expelled was minimal, it would never be able to hold him back if he truly was set on making the image fade, but the fact that she was even capable of the effort startled him.

" no Syaoran, don't make her go away yet."

"I... I guess it wasn't the great gift I had thought it would be. Seeing her like this must hurt. You know it's just an image, like a picture..." she silenced his nervous ramblings as she met his eyes with a warm smile.

"No... this is something no one else could have ever given me. Seeing her again makes me miss her, but it means more to me then I could ever say. This is the greatest present anyone has ever given me..." her words were as soft as the cooing of doves, but she was not helpless like the bird. Sakura could crush him with a word, even without words he was at her mercy. Just the thought that he had hurt her sent him into a panic he didn't think himself capable of dealing with. She was beyond all his training, beyond all his resolve and defensive walls. This tiny flower of a girl could topple his empire and shake his world from its axis, and in a way he treasured that most about her. the vulnerability it imposed upon him. Love is pain, often more so then pleasure. Syaoran had the incite that no romance was real without the possibility of destruction, and in that premise Syaoran felt his life richer for this weakness to her. 

"Thank you Syaoran.... thank you so much." she had tears in her eyes, and the translucent pearls of saltwater reflected his image. They shined with crystalline light that moved him as if they were a tsunami of emotion in themselves, a tide not of muddy brown water, but liquid light.

"You're welcome Sakura..." he replied gently, lost in the moment and drunk in her touch and her tears.

She reached up and brought her fingers to her lips, then touched them to the phantasmal angel who smiled back with placidity that bordered on tranquility and spiritual nirvana. The angelic form didn't respond for the only way she could respond is if Syaoran willed her to do so. That would be a blasphemous act in this circumstances, this was between mother and daughter, not daughter and puppet. Sakura turned to look at him and her eyes seemed to shine with pristine radiance.

"That's all I need..." he nodded, at a loss for words he reached over and gestured the angel back to the smoke which spawned her. Sakura watched as she faded away into the obscurity of the world which surrounds our own, but is beyond even the eyes of the greatest sorcerers, in a place that she could only name as heaven.

  
  


"Syaoran... we're almost out of time." she motioned to his wrist watch that revealed that their hour long session was three minutes from conclusion. He nodded and she slipped the brown leather book away into the safety of her purse. He rose with her as she stretched in an almost feline manner.

"Time flies eh?" he commented as he handed Sakura the book he had been musing over back. She accepted it and her hand lingered as she bit her lip a little in thought. Syaoran was about to ask about what was bothering her, but then was answered before he asked.

"I have the day to myself today... Touya is with dad at the museum and Kero is breaking in the new Final Fantasy game I bought him. I was wondering if you wanted to do something with me." Syaoran blinked at what could be inferred in that statement, he knew Sakura well enough to know that it wasn't anything scandalous... but then again he placed any activity with Sakura up there with the most impassioned sex acts he could think up. The mere idea of Sakura was enough to make his cheeks go warm and his heart step up a beat.

"You want do something together?" she giggled at his blush. Normally he would be defensive about being laughed at, but the tone of her laugh could hit chords that lulled sailors into kamikaze trances ending in pointed rocks. He had no delusion about how much he was wrapped around her finger.

"Well Madison has started filming for the movie I told you about."

"The one about us?"

"That's the one. You want to go see how they are doing?" she grinned and laughed nervously. He nodded and slipped into his shoes. They left his apartment together in a kind of unreal haze. Syaoran was fighting the urge to smile and be happy, he knew what was waiting for them in the not-too-distant future. But it made sense to be happy while that was possible, soon he would no longer be capable of being with Sakura. Years had passed, and now there was awkward footing underneath them. they had loved each other once, but after so long, and with so much on the verge of happening, they were unsure of exactly what their relationship was. Though years had passed he was still drawn to her as he had never been to another. Still unsure of where they were, friends or lovers, they pressed onward with it, seeking both revelation and salvation within the hope the other presented.

  
  


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The air was warm and smelled inherently sweet, as if the world were in bloom with small white flowers and lush tropical foliage. Sakura and Syaoran walked down the street to where Madison was working. They took their time and enjoyed basking in the celestial radiance which bathed their hair with golden fringe and lacquered their skin with faint amber luminosity. They spoke as they walked, the conversation had gone from how everyone has been in Syaoran's absence.

He learned that their old math teacher had married, leaving behind a heartbroken Rita. He was not surprised to find out that Chelsea and the human dictionary of nonsensical information (Zachary) had progressed in their relationship during Syaoran's absence from abstinence. It was quite the scandal amongst the cheerleading club, though now they had disbanded and long ago retired their pom poms. He found it amusing hearing Sakura recount the interrogations on the part of the squad. They seemed so young to him, typical schoolgirls both frightened and excited by the mysterious world of sex that they had yet no experience in. Syaoran had always felt a tremor of envy over the fanciful boy, he had the privilege to grow up with the girl he loved no more then three doors down.

Sakura was happily chattering away while Syaoran listened with enjoyment. The girl had a carefree tone to her babbling that was sweet and innocent and endearing. Syaoran listened and laughed with her as she brought him up to date on the goings on since last they had corresponded. Sakura had grown up in many respects besides the obvious, she had developed a singular wit that Syaoran had come to enjoy. 

The conversation came to a lull as they passed the park which radiated with the playful shrieks and reeling laughter of children engaged in a game. He looked over in the direction of their laughter and confirmed his belief to find a vast tributary of benign energy radiating upward like the branches of some great golden tree. Sakura too looked over and smiled at the mystic impression she felt radiating outward from those grounds which were saturated in mirth.

She had a whimsically sad look as she returned her gaze to the path ahead.

"I'm never going to be a part of that world. All I've done is so minimal.. I made things appear with smoke. I sense auras to an extent. I have visions that I can't make sense of.." he cut her off as he took hold of her shoulders and turned her to face him.

"Kero never told you?"

"About my visions?"

"Yes. They aren't related to the Clow cards... they are all yours. Your own natural magical talent." she looked at him in disbelief.

" you're sure? I thought they came from being the card mistress... just like being able to call the key and do readings with the cards." he nodded in the negative.

" you are card mistress Sakura, but that's not all you are. You have power all your own, that's part of why you are so compatible with the cards. You have powers that they gave you, but that is not close to the limit of your potential. The visions are just one way your natural capacity for magic manifested." she smiled at the thought. Her visions were a curse in many ways, but they were also a blessed proof that she was meant to be what she aspired to become. They continued walking and as they did the world of magic seemed that much closer.

  
  
  
  


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The set was abustle with commotion as actors and actresses milled over lines and had their makeup and costumes adjusted by two seventeen year old girls and the director herself periodically. The setting was alive with activity as the cast arranged the set. Large black cameras stood on mobile bases flanked with other electronic equipment that was unidentifiable as it sat on overloaded. The setting was that of nature, but Madison's team had thoroughly transformed some of the nature into a functional base.

The grass underfoot posed a challenging terrain for the porters who positioned the filming equipment, but the challenge of the sylvan terrain only seemed to invigorate Madison who was bouncing between actors and cameras with the exuberance and speed of a rubber ball fired from a high yield cannon. She screeched to a stop as she spotted Sakura and the long absent Syaoran. Her eyes widened as she bolted at them with a speed that could make her lethal if she possessed the killer intent of collision. She screeched to a halt and began bombarding them both with questions and high pitched cheers.

Syaoran sensed that she wanted to embrace him but hesitated on account of his stoical nature, though he liked her, he made no effort to initiate the contact. He wasn't sure why, but he felt strangely against interacting with them too much. A small group of old friends surrounded Syaoran as he tried his best to be polite and hide the apprehension he felt at being so enclosed in a sea of words and extended hands. They asked dozens of questions, he gave each of them the appropriate lie with no guilt thanks to considerable prep on the part of his family.

He was feeling claustrophobic and was thankful when Madison rescued him as only she could. The raven haired girl, who Syaoran noted, had grown quite pretty, turned to the cast with a look of fire in her violet eyes.

"Come on people! This movie has a schedule and it doesn't include mobbing li. Also this equipment isn't cheap. Lets not just let it sit here and get damaged by UV!" Syaoran comprehended a fraction of what she said in such a hectic pace that words jumbled together into a single long and boisterous noise that had all effect of a siren or a fog horn. The conviction in which she said it was as commanding as he could ever hope to be as leader. They fell into motion like domino tiles falling in a long phalanx of clacking disorder.

"We're going to talk later Li. But when I'm not in such a rush ok?"

"Sure Madison. How's it going?"

"Getting into the hang of a new project is always hard for the actors, but they are doing alright. We've just finished the scene where our male lead tried to steal the cards from our heroine." Syaoran's face was quiescent, but Sakura noted a slight wince that she suspected no one other then herself could ever see.

"It's a challenge, I've never had to sum up so many big events so quickly and still make it seem natural. Going from hating her to loving her. I wish my main actor could grasp the....." Syaoran cowered as her eyes focused on him with the suddenness and intent of the gaze of a tiger. He fidgeted nervously under her eyes that seemed less the color of heather and purple orchids, and more the burning sting of a amethyst laser. Her gaze flickered to Sakura who too was nervously watching the eccentric girl. Syaoran wasn't even sure he was able to follow the darting of her eyes.

"I have a job for the two of you..." Sakura blinked in bewilderment as Syaoran took a step back in contemplation of escape.

"My main actors have the look, but they don't quite have the motivation." she turned from the two with a flash of raven hair and called out.

"Alex! jess! Get over here for a moment! Everyone else take five!" from the crowd two teens ran forward to Madison. The girl bore a vague resemblance to Sakura that was subtle, but noteworthy. He studied her as she ran, her hair bobbed up and down with each stride, she was pretty, but sadly her eyes were cinnamon instead of emerald. The young man was a better casting job Syaoran felt. He was handsome in a seemingly flawless sense. His skin as pristine as that of his co-star, hair tousled in an oxymoronic display of great effort being put forth to yield a look of naturalness. The two came to a stop at Madison's side and looked quizicly to the two new faces.

"Sakura, Li, this is Alex and Jessica." Madison motioned to them.

"Call me jess..." she replied somewhat timidly as she reached out and joined hands with Sakura in a tentative greeting. Syaoran nodded to the boy who smiled a little and rubbed that back of his hair as if not comfortable in the style.

"Alex, jess, these two are the models for the love interest in the movie. These are the people your characters were designed after. I want you to talk to them a while and get a feel for the character. You can ask them whatever you want about the script, scenes, and the character. They each know the plot to the story so I doubt there will be anything you can stump them on.

"It's really important to me that you get a feel for the personality of your character. You two are good, but there's something lacking in the interaction... that's what I want you to fix now. Good luck!" Madison smiled and started walking over to the cameras as Sakura looked over to Syaoran.

"Did we just volunteer?"

"How terrifying that she still is like that..." he replied as he turned to Alex and was lead to one of the tables that had been placed there for the cast's lunch. He offered Syaoran a bottled water which Syaoran politely refused.

The young actor sat down facing him and smiled tentatively. He seemed to be a nervous young man, the kind that covers insecurity with a well practiced smile. Syaoran cast a glance to Sakura who had went for a small walk with her doppleganger. His gaze cut back to the boy and he tried to smile as best he could. He settled for a smirk.

"So what do you think of the story?"

"It's cool. Madison has some great ideas, she's just a little....."

"Extremely enthusiastic about them?"

"Exactly!" the boy laughed. He then looked over to Syaoran with some scrutiny in his sandy brown eyes.

"I've never been a lead before... I want to do good in this."

"Confidence is important. Know that you will..." his tone was strange, Alex blinked at the wisdom and depth behind it that rippled through his placidity alongside the emanation of strength.

"You really are the guy... can you help me get the personality right?" Syaoran shrugged and had him go through a few lines. The boy was indeed a good actor. Though he did need considerable refinement in acting like a future leader of his clan. Syaoran stopped him after he finished an eerily familiar dialogue in which he insulted Sakura's card capturing skills.

"How was I?" the youth questioned with a tone that seemed as if it came from a child seeking the approval of a parent or teacher. Syaoran didn't quite know why, but he was hesitant to be overly asocial to this boy.

"It was alright, but you don't have the attitude..." the young actor looked at Syaoran as the boy spoke with a seriousness that seemed to be foretelling impending doom on a global scale.

"The character has lived his whole life being raised to be the best. All he's ever known is the discipline of his people. He has a great weight on his shoulders and he bears it better then anyone else ever could. He has been denied unconditional love from his family, friends, anything normal... all he has is his pride.

And then he comes to japan and sees this girl. She's playing with magic like a toy. She's never been trained in it, never known the discipline that he has all his life. She doesn't understand or deserve the right to be card captor... all it is to her is a game with adventure and fancy dresses... to her the cards are just fun little parlor tricks, while to him they are his life.

He resents her, here she is.... never has she known the discipline he has.... she has lived a normal life, comfortable in her little circle of friends... to her life was just a picnic, and the cards are just a game to pass the time between sleep overs and family dinners. She's never had to sacrifice what he has, and he finds that infuriating." he looked over and saw that Alex was hanging off his words with a look Syaoran couldn't quite place.

"You hated her a lot?" Syaoran looked down.

"I did... she had everything so easy. My family is a world conglomerate, they expect me to fill the role they have set out for me. I never had a chance to just be a normal kid... Madison did a good job turning that concept into a fantasy, but I think the idea of magic tarot cards is a bit much." he was grateful Sakura and Madison had concocted such a decent deception for the true aspects of his family.

"Must be a hard life... knowing that you have to conform to what your family wants like that." Syaoran looked off in the direction Sakura had gone.

"There are ups and downs to it..."

"So how did things change?"

"They were competing as card captors, and she was everything he expected. She didn't have a particular knack for it. No incredible talent either.... she made stupid mistakes. But as he was competing with her he noticed something about her. she legitimately cared. He had never known anyone who could care about people and things like she did.

They were enemies, but she even cared about him... she wasn't a great card captor, but she was trying so hard to be good at it. He watched as she struggled through everything and he started hating her less and less. Eventually the competition stopped and he became her partner. He began respecting her for how much determination she had. She hadn't been trained like him, but the determination and perseverence were there as if she had been.

And by the end he was in love with her." Syaoran had a whimsical tone as the actor regarded him quietly, his eyes taking in the older boy as though he were actually the future leader of the clan of sorcerers. He had listened to the tone li spoke with and was moved by the subtle timbre which resonated through his voice and his gaze. He wasn't able to fully place this strangeness, but he decided that if this Li Syaoran were to declare himself as the character Madison claimed to have created, he would have believed him.

"You want to try the lines again?" he offered after a moment more of the stifling silence. Alex nodded and began reading from the script, but this time with a deeper understanding of how deep the relationship between them was.

  
  
  
  


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Along the path near the filming site Sakura walked with Jessica. They talked pleasantly as only two with such light and amicable natures could. They had just met, but under the nature of Sakura their dialogue was almost that of sisters. There was no pretension between them as they spoke.

"So what was your first impression of him?" she questioned with an studious tone that she tended to embrace when questioning Sakura about the plot of Madison's brainchild. Sakura laughed softly as she replied.

"He scared the crap out of me." The girl blinked and then laughed along with her.

"He does seem a little scary..." she replied still with a smile.

"That's him in a lot of ways.. But once you get past that he is a really sweet guy." she glanced over tword where the movie was being made, the set was plain and could easily be from a dozen scenes in her life: where Touya almost died when the cards discovered Sakura was the captor who hunted them, where she began the battle for the jump card, or where Syaoran held her and comforted her after her childhood infatuation with Julian was ended in such finality that it had jarred her bones.

"He's not like other guys... he's harder and stronger because of how he was raised. He never makes it easy on you... but that's part of what I like about him. He never assumes you can't do something, in fact he assumes the opposite. A lot of guys are content to play the dashing knight and rescue the damsel from whatever problem she's facing. Syaoran will expect the damsel to help save herself too. I don't like having people assume I can't handle things, so it's nice having someone who considers us equal." jess was unconsciously nodding as Sakura spoke, as though that was yet another thing that was shared between them.

"He seemed so... mean at first. He couldn't stand me, and I couldn't stand him. But after a while he started to come around and be civil, then he became almost nice. For some reason he warmed up to me, or at least as much as he can warm up to someone. We kinda became partners in things... I started to trust him more and more. I don't know when I fell in love with him, I know that I didn't recognize it when it happened, but now...." she turned to jess and locked eyes.

"Have you ever felt for someone so deeply that it's like they are a part of you? Almost the best part?" she smiled a little on the sad side and said that she hadn't.

"It's that way with me. Syaoran is a part of me, when I feel alone or weak I can feel him, his strength, it makes me feel safe." her words carried over into a gasp as she looked ahead of them to a nightmare.

strewn along the path lay throngs of dead women. Sakura's eyes went wide as she realized that they were surrounded by them. the ground underfoot was shaded in crimsons as time seemed to slow down around her making each second draw out to an eternity filled with grim details that burned into her eyes. The sun was now smoldered to a grey twilight as all color around them turned dull and anaesthetized.

A blond woman lay propped against one of the trees, her chest was hollowed out in a massive gash that had stopped bleeding, and now appeared brown. Her face was stiff and lifeless as glassy eyes stared out at Sakura. Her clothing was ripped down the middle, leaving her naked. The purpose of this was evident without the closer inspection Sakura refused to consider making. In life she had been beautiful, in death she was a pale representation of the woman she was. Her eternal stare was one of terror, as though she glimpsed the boney lips of the grim reaper as he bent to kiss her brow. 

Her gaze shifted to the next figure who's throat was cut, and then to a little girl who was partially held aloft by the very blade which pierced her. Sakura felt nauseous as she looked from face to face, all of which wore the chilling stare of terrified death. They all seemed to be looking at her through their contorted faces with a pleading expression. She realized that some of their faces were familiar, eerily so.... she had counted fifteen before she lost track of them in a massive heap of gore composed of bodies being thrown atop each other.

"Are you ok Sakura, you just went pale as a sheet?" Sakura turned to jess with a little vertigo. She smiled as best she could manage and made an excuse about getting a little dizzy all of the sudden. She glanced back to the bodies only to find them gone as if they never were there at all. She had been getting these flashes of visions more and more frequently, but the origin still remained to be seen.

"Are you sure you're ok?"

"Umm... yeah I'm fine, but lets head back."

The visions of the dead women were becoming more and more frequent. The details were becoming more vivid, but they still offered no more clues to what was coming or what the black creature was... just that since they were becoming more clear, the thing from her nightmare was growing closer.

  
  


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Sakura and Syaoran stayed for a few more hours and watched their dopplegangers act out a scene that the two found eerily familiar. They stood side by side at a distance from the crew and watched as jess cried while Alex took her into his arms. The acting was impressive as each of the two portrayed a depth to their relationship that had been lacking in previous takes.

Sakura looked over at Syaoran who stood at her side. He was watching the scene with a almost sad look on his handsome face. she was studying the slight curve of his lips and the nostalgic expression which shined in his amber eyes. Feeling her gaze on him, he looked down to her and smiles a little.

Motivated by an unknown momentum she reached out and closed her hand over his. He looked at her and blinked in surprise, then tightened his hand over hers.

"It's strange watching a scene from your own life..." he remarked as the performers pinky swore in accordance with the scene.

"That day was one of my hardest and best days..." Sakura said as she looked over at them before returning her gaze to him.

"That day Julian broke my heart... but it's also the day I realized something important." he looked at her quizzically.

"What?"

"That I could depend on you no matter what..." he looked at her for a moment without a readable expression, and then like a bolt from the blue he closed her in his arms and held her. she was dumbfounded by his suddenness with an emotion he was very reserved with, but soon she melted into his embrace and returned it.

Their auras rippled with motion as Syaoran felt the smooth warmth of her skin and smelled the sweet fragrance of her hair. He remembered these things from before when she hugged him, passed out into his arms, or was just close enough to grant him the faintest whiff of her sweet scented hair. His hand slid up her back to her hair which he stroked gently as though a dam had broken within him, leaving him desperately in need of touching her, smelling her, and tasting her...

He leaned over and kissed her. both were shocked by this above all other acts. Neither had been sure of their roles with each other, but the kiss clarified many things. Sakura kissed back and things were better then they had been as children. Adolescent dreams took full spectrum as their lips locked and their auras flared like twin flames in an updraft. Innocence and passion merged to one great wave of chaotic rapture as the kiss was both sweet and hungry all at one.

He kissed her as though he were born of the great works of romantic literature blended to the limitless imagination of a hopelessly romantic teenage girl. He was every bit as dashing as a young prince or gallant knight, but he was soft and emanated a warmth that pierced Sakura to her core.

Her hand slid up his chest and came to a rest on his jaw, where she gently stroked his cheek with her fingertips. They parted with a gasp of expelled breath as Sakura and Syaoran wore a cherry blush across their cheeks. They stared at each other as if mesmerized by the other's gaze and the shocking realization that they had really done it, after years of wanting to, they finally kissed.

Syaoran could still taste her as he opened his mouth to speak, yet was beat to it as a loud voice thundered through the stillness.

"AWESOME!!!!" Madison cried out as the two turned to find themselves under the gaze of the entire cast, not to mention the unblinking eye of a camera which Madison had wrenched from its tripod and fixed on them for god knows how long.

Eyes wide with shock, Syaoran staggered backwards, tripped, and fell on his butt. Sakura was turning every shade from rosy pink to cranberry red as she fidgeted under the all-seeing camera and the frantic girl who was jumping from angle to angle while ranting in words that were too high-pitched to be detected under the normal ranges of sound a human can perceive. In the distance jess and Alex laughed.

  
  


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The day waned away to noon and still the two were together. Sakura had called her home and requested to stay later, she would return to them a few hours after the golden stratosphere which surrounded the afternoon sun like a halo had given way to the soft violets and indigos of night. They sat now in silence on two chairs on Syaoran's apartment balcony watching the world around them turn and move as though it were the inner gears of some vast machine without knowable function but possessing utter synchroneity.

They were not giving words to the feelings that washed over them and then withdrew only to give way to new variations of emotion like the lapping waves as they wash over your toes when you stand on the beach. They each could sense the other, and that unique perspective yielded more depth then a novel written in the words of the greatest literary master. 

Syaoran looked out over Sakura's world and marveled at it as veins of rich green foliage were slashed with concrete and brick buildings that looked to be cool blue iron and fiery copper under the unique lighting that was changing as each second elapsed into the next. Japan had once been a land of shrines and temples. In his mind's eyes Syaoran could look back over an alien landscape of far more abundant verdure pierced only by the simplistic and yet elegant shrines devoted to the worship of sun, moon, stars, and everything that existed both above and below them. tiny villages composed of small rustic building once stood where now offices and streets loomed like shrines of a different nature. He marveled at this world that was so different from the past, but still embracing the subtle grandeur that had once been.

He looked over to Sakura and found her daydreaming in the warm pool of his own presence. She seemed to take pleasure in immersing herself within his aura. He studied her profile and saw an empress of ancient China adorned with trappings of a surreal beauty. She seemed timeless to him then as he saw the shadows fall over her in places like veils of nightly shade. She was like her home town, she was a child of the same era as the office buildings and condominiums, but beneath that exterior beauty there flowed a subterranean river of all that was ancient. Within her soul he gazed upon virgin springs aflow with spirits of the water and other mystic creatures that once had been and now existed only in the mist of twilight that both was and wasn't all at once in a splendid symphony of legend and lore blending with reality. It was as though she herself were a creature of impossibility, too wondrous to be real and too tangible too be dream. She was the bridge that connected the land of his people to the lands that lay beyond the shrouds of illusion, to the world of mankind. If he hadn't known it before, he knew it now.. He would love her until the end of time, and then perhaps, beyond them.

"I'm in love with you Syaoran..." she voiced softly in a hymn that almost could be born from the lips of angels confined in words that sent Syaoran amongst them.

"I love you as well, Sakura..." if he was blushing again it was shrouded by the golds of the setting sun which grew ever closer to vanishing away tword the western mountains.

"I don't know if I should... it hurt me so much when you left last time..." he felt a twang in his heart as though had been struck by an arrow that didn't pierce, mearly jarred with impact. He didn't know how to respond at first but instead decided to opt for a half truth. She couldn't know about the legacy yet, it would hurt her needlessly and cheapen the time they had together.

"I swear to you Sakura... I'm never leaving your side again. My home is with you, as it always has been." she looked at him and saw the honesty in what he said. It was not a lie, for he would be with her forever. She smiled and as she did her eyes suddenly let loose streams of shimmering tears. She tried to speak but found that like he, words had failed her under the weight of the moment.

With a squeak she threw her arms around him and cried while laughing into his shoulder. He returned the hug and soon found himself laughing for no other reason then the fact that she was. At a glance the couple appeared to be as drunk on love as some are on wine. Each touch and tiny kiss Sakura planted on the nape of his neck was one great swallow from a chalice with no bottom.

Their laughter and jovial kisses turned more needful as in some great lapse of time Sakura was pressing him against the headboard of his bed. Sex seemed far away from their minds as they played like children placing sporadic kisses amidst bouts of tickling and just general touching. There was no sexuality to the moment as the cold and restrained Syaoran found himself lost in a world he had never known that had no shadow of discontentment due to a radiance of contentment that dispelled all that was not Sakura and himself.

"Syaoran, do you feel that?" he was broken from his bliss by her cutely mystified expression and tone.

"What is it?" he stammered lightly as he tried to regain control over his rampant breathing and galloping pulse.

"Your aura... it felt strange. It was like it touched mine, but differently." he nodded somewhat in understanding.

"Was it uncomfortable?" she looked at her hands.

"No, it felt nice."

"Ready for another lesson?" she smiled and nodded. He positioned himself so that he was sitting on his knees. He reached out and closed his hands over her shoulders.

"Auras can be controlled. Suppressed or manipulated. We do this a lot on instinct, but we can do it by will too." he took his hand and gently closed her eyelids, she smiled at his touch.

Sakura gasped as she felt his aura shift and swell around her, engulfing her own like a glove and hand. It felt warm and pleasant as it just barely made contact with her own, then as though it were water, it rippled. She gasped as the movement tickled her own aura almost as though it were a massage. She wasn't asking any questions or attempting to return the gestures at first, she simply basked in this new and pleasurable way of feeling his touch.

Syaoran watched her as her head tilted back in a sweet cooing moan of bliss. Her neck was beautiful and sexy as he felt himself almost drawing his lips to it for a few impassioned kisses and maybe a few playful nips. Instead, he continued his treatment of her, he touched her aura in a dozen variations that couldn't be adequately described, only felt. Some caresses were playful while others held an almost sexual nature that he was hesitant to initiate and pleasantly surprised at how readily she accepted them. the motions were soon returned and found the two of them wrapped in each other's arms panting as the pleasure they shared soon melded to a contentment that left both nearly asleep with the warmth of the other's body and the radiance of the other's aura. As a final act to this lesson that seemed far less academic and closer to something spiritual he let his aura meld into hers as two became one.

Sakura smiled at him dreamily as she lay her head against him and began to sleep. He would wake her soon, and take her home. But for the time being he was enjoying holding her as she slept. He let his aura mingle with her own and marveled at how complete he felt when he was with her like this. It made him hesitant to pull back his essence from hers when the shared aura felt so right that he could almost justify never relinquishing this union.

"I will love you forever Sakura." he spoke softly into her sweet smelling hair as she snored gently against him.

  
  


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"Sakura! You are not making this easy!" Syaoran barked in his most foreboding voice. It had been weeks since they kissed and the atmosphere between them had not lessened in the least. They were doing normal couple things which Syaoran was enjoying beyond his capacity to word, but it steadily grew more difficult to stay on subject with her. especially since she knew all his tricks. Sakura giggled at just how little he could intimidate her now. He knew it too. He was the junkyard dog who had been found out to be as gentle as a pup. He couldn't fight back the grin as he tried as best he could to push her off with no success. She was draped over him and taking effort to get in his way and prevent him from focusing on the texts contained in the brown leather spell book. She growled playfully back at him in imitation of his own snarl as she nipped at his jawline.

"Please stop Sakura..." he pleaded with all attempts at duress abandoned due to the futility of it. 

"You really want me to stop?" she smirked as she kissed his Adam's apple with the softness of a butterfly's wing .he closed his eyes and whimpered in reply, feeling so helpless against her.

"No, but we need to get to work. You're behind in your lessons." she pouted dramatically then with a sudden shift in position was laying her head in his lap. She smiled up at him upside-down as he looked down on her.

"You know you are adorable... but you are a nightmare pupil." he scolded with a smirk.

"I've never had a teacher like you.... so cute..." he was feeling light headed under her ministrations. His hand lowered to her brow and began softly playing with her auburn locks.

"How about a compromise? You get through the lesson then we take an extended recess." 

"Sounds fun... mr. Syaoran" she giggled like a school girl in the emphasis on his name.

"Ready to start working on controlling elements?" she groaned and sat up with a bored expression.

"You go too slow... I've had this down for a few days." she backed up her boast with a gesture of her hand which sparked with flame and took the form of a perfect sphere of fire. He raised an eyebrow as she smirked in triumph.

"Show off..."

"You take it too easy on me.. I need more of a challenge, manipulating elements isn't hard. All you do is keep your mind on what you want it to do and not let it get distracted." he didn't voice it, but she was getting so talented so fast that it was startling. She was incredible. Every challenge he set was overcome within a matter of days.

"Very well.... we'll start something more advanced. What do you know about summoning?"

"Not much... isn't it like what I do with the cards?"

"To an extent.... but the cards are nothing to some of the stuff true evocation can do. Summoning is where you call spirits, demons, or gods to do your bidding. The more powerful you are, the more control you have. If you overestimate your ability, you may loose control over the summon and then deal with whatever you tried calling. In the case of demons or gods it can be very dangerous. Both tend to resent being summoned, especially by an armature." Sakura laughed nervously as images of demons danced in her head.

"I'm not sure I should..." he cut her off with a diabolical sneer.

"Come on Avalon. Don't be pathetic." her eyes narrowed at the terminology of years gone by. Syaoran smirked at her little scowl.

"Sakura... you think I would suggest you doing something that would hurt you? Respecting the magic is crucial, but if you become afraid of it then I have no reason to keep acting as your instructor." 

"How do I do it?" Syaoran grinned as he tossed the book atop her lap. She looked down and raised an eyebrow at the description of the beast he had chosen for her to summon.

"Willow of wisp?"

"A Scottish spirit. Demons are primarily summoned for fighting, gods for major spells like resurrecting the dead or other unconventional and powerful magics, spirits are the more easily controlled of the three, and also the most useful since they have decent abilities without a major threat of them eating you." he grinned as she chuckled nervously.

"What does this spirit do?"

"It's the size of a firefly. You call it when you need a guide." she nodded as her eyes fell upon the texts of the old book. Slowly her lips began to move as she spoke in a whisper the chanting incantations of evoking the tiny spirit. Syaoran watched as her hair fluttered in soft wind that he could not feel. The shadows and slashes of light in the room began to flicker as if by candlelight and soon grew taller as each shadow climbed the walls and then the ceiling. Soon they were surrounded in walls of moving darkness.

"You're doing it..." Syaoran gaped as he watched the changes in his environment. He hadn't expected her to get this. Summoning was a higher level magic, in offering her the chance to do it, he had skipped several steps up the magical ladder. She was concentrating heavily on it as her words came out in puffs of air that she could barely distinguish as word and not gibberish chanting. She wasn't really conscious of saying them anymore... the momentum had overtaken her and she allowed herself to flow with it.

From still air a fire grew. From the seed of a glowing ember a blue flame plumed upward. Its texture and form were that of a union between smoke and flame, both locked in a pale blue. Magics danced across the room, and Sakura seemed bathed in them as if they were ivory moonlight, which she looked particularly breathtaking when standing therein. 

Her eyes opened and the emerald green seemed so radiant that it was almost the same caliber as animal eyeshine on a dark road. Her mouth opened in awe as she looked at the tiny flame which flickered in the open air. Looking to Syaoran and receiving a smile of assurance, she reached out to the flame with her finger. The tiny spirit withdrew with the speed of a dragonfly and then hovered there a few inches away from her extended digit.

"It did that on its own!"

"Of corse... this isn't like an element. Summoning calls actual beings to you. It has a mind of its own." Sakura nodded quickly and turned to it. She gave it a small smile and bowed her head to it quickly.

"Hi, I'm Sakura." Syaoran raised an eyebrow.

"You're talking to it?"

"Well of corse! It's alive." Syaoran rubbed the back of his head as she returned her attention to small talk with the tiny flame which, shocking to Syaoran, was flickering and making little gestures that almost could be seen as reply.

"Do you want to actually test it out? Or just have a nice chat with the little fireball?" Sakura glowered at him and then addressed the little spirit.

"You're the first spirit I have summoned. Did I do a good job?" the little spark flickered and made a tiny circle. Syaoran wasn't sure how to respond to this dialogue.

"You do realize that you can talk to it with your mind. It doesn't have ears so it can't actually hear you... it's reacting to your thoughts." Sakura blushed and quickly began communing silently.

With a flash the tiny little firefly was down the hall and out of site.

"Aren't you going to follow it after whatever you sent it to get?"

"No it'll bring it back itself."

"What? The wisp can't do that... it's just a guide. It leads you to things." he cut short as the tiny firefly returned. It was flying in dazzling circles that blurred to a bluish haze around the object Sakura had apparently sent it to retrieve. His eyes were wide as the wisp flew over his head and then dropped its cargo atop his head.

The firefly flew back to Sakura and began making darting and playful circles around her. as Syaoran stared at her dumbly while wearing the boxers that it had retrieved from his drawer and then dropped on his head.

"You look so cute Syaoran, but I'm a little disappointed.... no tiny red hearts.

"How did you?" he trailed off as he reached up and pulled his underwear from his head.

"Asked."

"And it just did it!?"

"Yeah, but it can't move big things. so I would have to have called a few others to help. But your undies are light enough for this one by himself." she laughed as Syaoran blushed, still with the dumbstruck expression.

Sakura opened her hand and let the tiny flame land on her skin. It didn't burn her since it wasn't actually made of fire. She lowered her head so that she was eye-level with it. Her smile was adorable as she grinned at it.

"Thank you... you did such a good job." she leaned over and kisses the tiny little spirit and then it vanished, seemingly embarrassed.

"So I did good?" she replied to Syaoran.

"You are amazing, Sakura" he said earnestly as he moved next to her and took her hands in his own.

"I'm glad you think so..."

"Completely amazing...." he leaned over and kissed her.

"What would they think... Sakura and her teacher kissing..." he was about to reply but instead just shook it off and cuddled her in a somewhat playful manner. She grinned as she slumped into his arms like a rag doll.

"Tired?" he questioned

"Warm." she answered as she burrowed in deeper.

He slipped his arms around her and felt her stiffen with a faintly perceived tremor. His brow furrowed as he lay his hand on the back of her head. He closed his eyes as his fingertips glowed on contact with her skin. He looked around the room and was almost startled by the image he had expected, and regretfully found. He continued to hold Sakura to him as he stared into the eyes of the dead woman who stared down at him.

He had suspected that her jumpiness as of late was due to visions. Her mood would periodically jump from serenity to a rigid sense of alertness. Syaoran was expecting to see something bad when he tapped in on her vision, the woman was just that. Sakura must have sensed her presence and in a touching act, sought comfort nestled against his chest. 

She was in her twenties, and would have been beautiful were it not for the gaping crater of flesh that stared out through half her face. it was nauseating as he looked upon shards of bone, impaled on sickly flesh. Her one visible eye was looking at him beseechingly, while the cranial cavity seemed menacing beyond words. She was a ghost of corse... but not a recent one. Her face had been smashed in hundreds of years ago.

Sakura shifted against him as he continued to syphon the vision from her, she was unaware that he was doing it, but the act lessened the strain which had once been just hers to bear. He almost wished he could truly take her visions. She would be so much happier if she didn't have to see these things.

The ghost reached out to him with a mangled hand terminating in broken fingernails. He wasn't afraid of this apparition, he had been raised as leader of his people, ghosts can be gruesome, but rarely were they vengeful or capable of being more then merely invisible travelers in the world of the living. This woman was not a ghost, just a vision of the past that was relevant to the coming of the legacy. He studied her face and almost could recognize her in the familiar distant gaze she kept in her one whole eye.

She faded away as if never there within a moment's time. Syaoran stared off at the empty space she had occupied as he felt the vision fade away from both his, and Sakura's minds. She softened in his arms now that the demons had retreated. He stroked her hair and whispered loving words to her as he slowly let his aura meld into hers. It had become their special thing since that one night... a metaphysical expression of their shared love. It washed over her and washed away all lingering traces of the apparition. She began to sleep in his arms. He was happy she fell asleep, it would give him much needed time to think. The visions were coming faster, and no longer in dreams, but now in the waking hours. 

Time was running out... he would have to tell her soon... but how could he? This is something beyond him alone, a wise leader of the Li clan would seek council among his wisest advisors. And in this place and time he had only two who would be able to guide him now. They both loved Sakura, and knew of the great sacrifice which awaited her. he made up his mind. 

He could do nothing to stop the legacy, but to some extent, he could prepare for it.

Tonight when he returned Sakura to her family he would make arrangements with Kero and Yue..

  
  


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The great winged lion stalked around the shadowy landscape with small curses lingering in each discharging of breath. His wings were held tightly to him in a rigid posture as he continued to pace through the nightly landscape, waiting for the brat sorcerer to arrive.

Yue stood as still as if he were crafted from stone atop the railing. He stood atop it to his full height, perched with a seemingly immaculate balance. His ashen hair glided faintly on the breeze and seemed aglow under the ivory light of his sovereign, the moon.

"He drops Sakura off twenty minutes late! Arranges to meet with us in the middle of the night! And won't even give me a hint about what he wants! The kid has no manners, no tact, and he smells!" the lion ranted as Yue turned to him with his silvery feline eyes that glowed with the same light as the moon overhead.

"You are too noisy Kero... I understand you feel jealous over the boy's bond to our mistress, but must you be so vocal about it?"

"Jealous!? Of that pup!?" the lion all but roared as Yue turned his attention back to the moon, drawing his wings closer to him as if they were a shroud.

"He cares for her. and she for him... you had best accept that." he replied with a clandestine tone that had always infuriated the sun guardian.

The landscape was bathed in the mantle of the night as lush green trees became nothing more then rustling silhouettes underneath the full moon's light. The bridge crossed over a small pond where the elderly sat and fed the squirrels who now nested in the dark boughs of the trees.

In day this place was not unusual, but in the night it seemed a world apart, every landmark distorted and masked under spectrums of shadow and moonlight.

A figure manifested from the very substance of the night, almost as if he had appeared from thin air. It was possible either due to the magic he wielded or the training he had endured, but he was conveyed as if he were of the same fabric as the night around him. He walked to them with sweeping steps almost as if he were floating.

"Sorry I was late... I had to pick up something" Syaoran commented as he motioned to his hip where a thin stiletto waited in a black ebony sheath. Its luster gleamed in the moonlight and as he moved, flashed with mystic incantations emblazoned on the weapon's sheath just as they were on the blade. He wore a black silk shirt with pale buttons and dark pants. His dressing would imply a darkness about him, but he wore the silver ivory of the glowing moon just as Yue did, leaving him ethereal and reeking of a supernatural power which he had embraced.

"You created a ketsueki-saiken, ?"

"A blood pact, it will give Sakura more time." he replies as he looked over to Kero as the great lion addressed the blade with a feline stare. The magics used to enough this weapon were great, and he suspected Kero was unnerved by the fact that he made such a tool. Yue, ever the stoical, stated the fact without the faintest glimmer of emotion.

"You are not the same boy we once knew. Your magic has startlingly increased. Unlike Kero, I am not the sentimentalist, you and Sakura are growing powerful. I am not sure two such as yourselves should possess this power so quickly." he was the same Yue Syaoran had once known, he was quick to the point as he voiced the belief that they were not ready to possess such magic in his own tact-less style.

"Believe what you want, but it is beyond your place to judge either Sakura or myself. She is your mistress and in this matter I don't seek your council moon guardian." he spoke in the words of his family, summoning up all the ironclad force he had cultivated in the years past. Kero padded closer and addressed him.

"Why have you called us brat? And why do you carry the knife now?"

"You two lack all capacity to see into the near future... but I had at least thought you could sense auras a little better. Especially this aura." Yue stared down on him as Kero growled softly.

"I have summoned the two of you to discuss the coming of legacy. It grows near, dangerously near." Kero's eyes focused on the boy's and the growl went softer.

"It's too soon, it always waited years longer before..."

"You know as well as I that legacy makes its own time. The oracles of my clan have sensed it... and Sakura is having visions."

"I know about the visions. She told me about them. I didn't tell her about the truth because... well... it would only hurt her." his voice softened in the same manner that Syaoran's did when he had spoken of legacy's arrival. They were all her guardians, him just as much as the lion or the angel, perhaps more so then either of them. they loved Sakura, but not in the same way he loved her.

"Has her visions offered any new incite to the legacy? Something that we didn't know?"

"No.. They just center around a black presence, and the cards. But we have known that the legacy and the Clow are related somehow."

"And the dead women..."

"Sakura shouldn't have too see those..." Syaoran nodded subconsciously in agreement.

"The massacre of that village was just as bad as the texts claimed. With origins like those, no wonder the Clow cards are cursed."

"You'd call it a curse?" Yue questioned.

" I can't think of a better name for it."

"Curses have purpose... the legacy is random evil."

"It will surface shortly... we are going to have to tell her soon. I... don't know how to tell her this. It'll change her... she won't be the same Sakura anymore." Syaoran spoke softly as he stared at the moist grass underfoot.

"Sakura is a strong mistress." Yue commented.

"But she won't be the same anymore. Sakura has never lost before. The cards and Eriol... they were both unlike legacy... this isn't a test, it's life or death. And she's never known death. Her light will be gone." Kero said as he sat on his haunches, his coat seemed a dull grey in the shadows of the night.

"Sakura will endure, just as the others did." Yue's words were cold, but also hollow. He felt, wether or not he chose to express that or not, it was clear by the desolation which echoed through his words.

"Does it get easier for the two of you? Afterwards?" Syaoran questioned.

"Losing a master? Knowing that our time with Sakura is almost gone? It does not." Kero replied.

"It must be hard being her guardians, and being so helpless when she faces this."

"You would know just as well as we, Li Syaoran. You are as much her guardian as Kero or I. In fact I would assume that you feel it even more so then we, she is our mistress and we love her as we would any of our masters... you, however, have invested your heart in Sakura, your mortal heart. Kero and I are eternal, you are not. Thus your love is measured in time, and with so little of it, it is precious. I know mortals, and I know that you love her. what she faces, you face along side her." Yue spoke with an agelessness that Syaoran had heard before, but never with the emotion he put forth now. Even Kero was silent as his golden eyes fixed on Syaoran.

"I know the price legacy will warrant. If she lets me, I will pay it. I want to pay it. It proves that what I feel for her is more then just infatuation, or simple attraction. It would mean that we are destined to be one." he spoke gently as the nightly wind sent shivers across his exposed flesh.

"You shouldn't wish for such things. I've read Shakespearean tragedy, love at that cost is noble, but none the less tragic." Kero chastised.

"If not me, she would have to choose another. That choice would destroy the Sakura we all love. There is nothing more we can do about this... if I am destined to pay, then I will, if not, then so be it. But either way I will not leave her." his words were darker then the night, and far colder. Sakura's image was all he had to warm him.

"There was one aspect of her first vision you should know..." Kero suddenly chimed in.

"What is it?"

"You were in it..." Syaoran's eyes closed and he nodded softly. he turned away from them, back to the night.

"Time is growing short... we will wait until it's here before we tell her. nothing can be gained by telling her sooner. But understand, it's a heartbeat away. Then we will have no choice but to tell her.... everything." his words heralded his disappearance into the heart of the night once more. He was gone before either of the two could react, but still his presence lingered.

  
  


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three days had passed since Syaoran had met with the two guardians, he continued her lessons, and their romance at a much more fevered pace, as though he were taking deep swallows from a spring, knowing that thirst was on the verge of being an inevitability. Sakura didn't seem to realize just how much this time had come to mean to him, how each second was savored when spent with her. he was grateful for that, he didn't want her to face this until it was necessary.

They walked over to meet Madison at her site. She was not filming today, so the set was vacant of all cast-members. The sun was warm, but no more then mere speckles of light which pierced the shadow like leopard spots. They walked arm in arm through the symphonious medley of golden light, and silken shadow. Syaoran felt almost light as her warm touch distinguished itself over the warmth of the distant son.

"Are you happy Sakura?" 

"What?"

"With me, do I make you happy?" he paused and looked at her.

"Of corse. Syaoran I am in love with you. What's wrong?" she looked at him with perplexity and he smiled at her.

"I love you too Sakura. I..." he found he had no way of finishing that sentence, too much was left to say and too much could never be said. He reached out and touched her face. she looked at him with perplexity, but dropped it since she never would be able to force Syaoran into disclosing something he chose not to. He was way too stubborn for that.

"Am I interrupting something?" Madison giggled as they both turned to look at her.

"Yes." Syaoran scowled 

"That's rough... but oh well."

"Hi Madison." Sakura smiled

"I was wondering, do you guys want to go get some ice-cream? It's way too hot to just bake here." Syaoran hadn't really noticed the heat, but it was a little warm. Sakura replied that she would like some, and thus it was decided. Syaoran followed quietly as the two spoke. He watched them, yet felt distant. His mind drifted to the hour glass that was running out of sand. 

Sakura looked beautiful as she laughed with Madison over some joke that Syaoran had not been paying attention to. He found himself studying her smile, though he already knew it by heart. The soft texture of her lips, the slight curvature of her nostrils as she breathed, the whiteness of her teeth, and the greenness of her eyes. All dazed him as he found himself lost in her aspect. 

It was only in this observation of her that he noticed the change. Her pupils constricted to tiny pinheads of black as the sheen vanished. Madison noticed too as her color left and she collapsed.

Syaoran caught her before her head met concrete. Madison was almost as fast, but pushed off as Syaoran waved his hand over her eyes. No response. Her breathing was shallow and slightly irregular as her aura flared and rippled with strange magics relating to her visions. He felt the force behind this one and knew that he could not even begin to try siphoning it without potentially harming Sakura.

Her visions normally came in her sleep, almost as dreams. Others were superimposed onto her daily life, just like the images of the dead women... this vision had pulled her from her life and sank her into a trance. This vision was a dark herald to the fact that legacy was at hand.

"What happened to her!?"" Madison cried out.

"A vision..."

"She looks dead!" the girl cried as her violet eyes exploded into tears. Syaoran didn't or couldn't reply to that, and so he simply picked Sakura up and carried her off the track, where others were likely to see her. he tried to remain calm, but the things he was sensing were terrible.. And they were close.

  
  


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"Syaoran!?" Sakura walked down a street that seemed frozen in suspended animation. The people who walked were as still as stone, almost as if the great machine of time had slipped a gear and grinded to a halt. She walked onward as cars remained locked in perpetual motion and perpetual stillness.

The only sound was a cold wind that smelled of coppery blood. The world was a cemetery around her as she walked through the metropolis like a ghost wandering a tomb. The sun was red, and the sky black; making the city's illumination impossible. 

She looked upward and saw a black vortex of swirling darkness. It was massive and moving with sinuous motion that was unlike any cloud or haze and more reminiscent of a nest of slithering serpents atop water, each gliding against the others in a sea of coils. The sky was speckled by the Clow cards which flew through the air like flocks of carrion birds. They looked evil in this vision, totally unlike the cards she knew.

From the black maelstrom a form descended. It was a shadow of writing tendrils and strange appendages that slumped to the ground and twisted itself in strange and terrifying motions as the black thing mended itself into some greater apparition. It exploded upward into the heavens, complete and terrible in it's true form that still was an undistinguishable shadow of wicked orientations. Bladed protrusions shot outward in lethal detail as it dropped it's gaze to the frozen city. Sakura cried out as its back exploded into monolithic wings which stretched high into the sky. It snarled out into the red twilight and the world trembled.

She could swear that she heard her name in the low howl of the wind as the demonic thing stared down at her like some hell god on a throne of mangled corpses. Such dark imagery was terrifying, but she could not move. Her movements were choreographed to whatever thing was looming in the distance. With a flash of sheer speed the creature was atop her, looming before her like a building which hazed behind clouds. 

She could almost see it now. Black flesh twisted around malformed extrusions of bone. It's musculature rippled in strange manners as if thousand of millions of things slithered beneath its skin. It had scales, but only in sporadic places, it was not a reptile, or any other thing Sakura had ever witnessed. In the pale lighting which shone off its flesh she could see twisted scales mingling with black flesh and chitinous insect shell. It was almost pieced together from various nightmares. She stared up at it and saw pulsating boney ribs which undulated around a gaping cavity in its chest. They moved like the masticating fangs of a spider. It slowly craned its head down and came to stare at Sakura through it's oily black and glassy eyes. It was almost a dragon, but more mutated and evil looking. It wore a crown of horns which extruded outward from his skull and spine. It snarled at her in a wicked grin that pulled back its lips to massive rows of wicked bladed fangs. It was the embodyment of hell.

"Sakuuuuuurrrrrrraaaaaaaa..." it snarled through a voice of awkward syllables and strange tonalities. Sakura watched as it opened its jaws to a gaping blackness that went on forever. Turning its attention skyward it keened at the red heavens and the cards which flew amidst them. Sakura turned back to the thing's chest which had split open and now seemed to howl into the heavens like a second set of jaws. 

She turned to the people on the street with horror as she watched their souls being ripped from their bodies. The spectral emanations were pulled away from their bodies, leaving them dead and terrifyingly pale. The face of a small child caught her attention and she looked away quickly.

She followed the souls with her horrified gaze as they vanished away into the gaping chasm of the thing's sternum. It swallowed their light away into an oily blackness. And then snapped shut like the jaws of a shark in dark water.

The people who were locked in stillness by both time, and now death continued to stare out as masks of what they once were. Faces appeared pale and pasty, eyes clouded in shades grey. 

The demon sneered over the city of the dead and turned his attention back to Sakura as his soulless eyes shone with dark glee. It opened its jaws.

A dark flame burned inside the gaping confines of its maw, a sinewy black tongue wriggled amidst the dark radiance which spilled out from it's mouth and hung over its head like a black wreath of ethereal smoke.

She turned to run, but could not. The black beam exploded from its jaws and wiped over the city around her. she was terrified as buildings crumbled away to dust in a great gale wind, which burned and ripped. Cars were sent flying into the air and then crushed to splinters along with their operators. Sakura screamed as she watched the poor pedestrians being reduced to ash and bone fragments on the dark winds of its attack. The ground beneath her feet began to splinter away as the landscape was wiped clean, and then destroyed amidst a whirlwind of ash and debris. Reality was transformed from a still street to a swirling maelstrom of dust and ash as the demonic creature laughed into the vortex in which Sakura stood. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she listened to the screaming voices which came from all directions of the cyclone. The card flew in a great ascending spiral within the storm of ash that rained down upon her like a ashen snowstorm in the darkest pit of hell.

The creature was in all directions as reality warped in vertigo. The swirling dervish of ash seemed to go in all directions now Sakura's screamed in anguish as the demon's laughter rose up to the heavens like a black pillar of flame. And then there was silence.

Her eyes opened as the creature loomed before her. it was changed. Where once it had almost been a dragon, now it was a twisting slithering tree of twisting coils without leaves, just skeletal claws that pierced the heavens as it grew upward like a column. The spire was terrifying in such perportune that words, no matter how horrible, could only paint a brighter picture. It towered over Sakura as she stared at it in all it's horrific majesty as it formed pustules which exploded into form. From its writing roots fifty-four separate faces formed. They were waxen and grey, staring out amidst a nest of bladed protrusions that pierced them, and yet grew from them. they were the faces of women, some children, and some elderly, all demonic and melancholy as they looked out from the cancerous obelisk at the young sorceress. They spoke to her in many voices joined as one. 

"Sakura.... mistress... Release us from our tombs... end the pain" all chorused out in a less then human symphony of words. They continued with more vague pleadings as Sakura looked upon them. they were the dead women who had been haunting her.

"What do you want from me!?"

"Death...." Sakura withdrew in horror.

"DEATH!!!" they screamed through shrill and almost reptilian screeching calls. Her terror was augmented as their throats exploded into further black veins of dead, yet living tissue. Eyes rolled over black as the whole twisting spire exploded into life as it clawed out with exploding blades of twisted black bone. It wriggled and tore loose from whatever it had been tethered to, and then began to slither upward into the endless red sky which seemed to tear to ribbons under it's probing undulations. It moved like a phantom squid in the depths of a bloodied ocean, gradually vanishing away into the fabric of the red sky. 

The black Clow cards suddenly dove for her and she screamed as she was enveloped in them, feeling only hate, rage, and need.

  
  


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"SAKURA! SAKURA!" Madison shrieked as she shook her. Syaoran was now battling Madison just as much as he was trying to protect Sakura. He was on the verge of just knocking the girl out, lest she do real damage to Sakura before she was able to come through. He didn't have to as he heard a faint murmur from the girl. 

Her skin was pale and she was drenched in a cold sweat, but the second her eyes opened she flung herself atop Syaoran and cried against him. This vision had hurt her on a spiritual level, touching the legacy must have been something like touching the still-beating heart of hell.

He and Madison held her as she sobbed out words he could not define.

"It's alright Sakura, I'm with you."

"Syaoran.... it was so evil... not evil like a murder, or a criminal. Evil like... I don't know!" she said between wails. She was shaking but gradually growing warmer. Syaoran closed his eyes as Madison suddenly screamed in sheer terror. Sakura looked up to the blue sky that was split with red. She too screamed.

From a rip in the fabric of the sky a black creature struggled. It's massive jaws gashing out in snarls and snaps as it's impossibly long talons struggled with the tiny doorway from hell to earth. Sakura's eyes were wide with terror as she locked eyes with it. It smiled.

"The Legacy is here..." Syaoran whispered.

  
  


Evil is without form. it glides on the winds of fear and suckles on the milk of malice.

Superstition and hatred are the flames it kindles and we are no more then the tender.

We gave birth to evil, and now it grows with ambition all its own. 

The sad truths are that simply if there is a hell, we built it, we furnished it, and we sustain it.

Creation is an act of will, it is also a legacy we must bear.

  
  
  
  


Not the end...


	3. Reflections in Dark Water

Disclaimer time!!! I don't own it, never will, but it would make a lovely Christmas present if someone is looking to go shopping for me. Oh my god I am sorry for this month wait between chapters. College and working have officially sliced my free time to a grand total of like ten minutes a day . *whimpers* so bear with me.... I shall finish this fic!!!! and then I get to start my next one ¬_¬ ok, I want to address the length of these chapters. Let me just take a moment to drive my thought process home to you, before I get reviews saying they are too long. I chapter my fics without thinking about page length. I break them off between major events.

This chapter is almost all explanation of what legacy is.... the true origin of the cards... and Sakura preparing for the final battle with legacy. I tried to make this one less painful by making the Clow stuff flashbacks, as opposed to just Kero talking.

The next chapter will be the final battle with legacy. The one following will be the series conclusion. Almost done ^_^

just to explain myself. Sakura goes through a personality switch partway through this. It occurred to me that after going through what she went through in this chap, she would be effected by it. (It's hard explaining something without spoiling the fic...) She will get a little better in the following chapters.

  
  


Mail me at logan91235@aol.com 

  
  


Legacy

By Logan

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Reflections in Dark Water.

  
  
  
  


The sky bled as the demon struggled forward like a hell spawned infant being ejected from the womb of the heavens. It tore with its claws, and as it did more of the red and black nightmare sky gurgled out and streaked the sky with phantasmagoric blood. The blue was palpitating around it as if trying to close and lock the beast back into the atrocity made landscape where it had come from.

The struggle continued, but the beast continued to maintain eye contact with Sakura. It watched her hungrily as it writhed his way forward, closer and closer to the goal it reflected in its oily black eyes. The need which burned inside those black embers was just as terrifying as the squirming flesh which wriggled with motion.

"What is it!?" Madison screamed as she clung to Sakura. Syaoran's eyes darkened to hateful slits as he stared up at it. Sakura was watching him as he took a step closer to the demonic mass of flesh which tore at the sky seeking both freedom and death. The posture he wore was so rigid and tight that Sakura could see his fist trembling with rage and a hate she had never thought him capable of. He was not intimidated by the creature, just as he was not surprised by it.

"Legacy!" he called out into the sky. The creature paused in his struggles and looked at the boy, though it had no pupils or retinas, his gaze focused on Syaoran. Its lips pulled back into a venomously reptilian hiss.

"Do you recognize me?! Do you know me?! I am Li Syaoran. The only son of LI Lerae and LiYaichiro... do you remember us monster!? " Sakura was stunned by his words as he stared up at the colossal creature who met his gaze with an icy hate.

"Hear me demon! You will not take this girl! You will not take anyone else!" legacy snarled and snapped as his jaws twisted into rows of fangs which bent to allow more to grow in. Sakura felt her stomach churn with revulsion as she saw the creature's lips pull away and meld back into his face, leaving fleshy gums which vaguely seemed similar to those of a baboon's wicked mouth. Its body seemed bound in eternal flux as shapes and appendages wriggled into existence, only to meld back in a moment later.

"Syaoran..... what is it?" Sakura questioned as she hesitantly climbed to her feet, hanging close to him.

"This is the Legacy of the card captor, Sakura... your destiny, and mine." his hair whipped in violent winds that had kicked up since the legacy's presence.

"Look at it Sakura... this is the price of the cards, and the responsibility of their mistress..."

"You knew this was coming?" she questioned as the winds began tp pull at her as if the demon was bringing forth cyclones of demonic energy.

"My people have known and fought this demon many times... " legacy's form exploded as his skull ripped away and formed two massive arms which seized the rim of the slit and struggled to tear it open further. The hole widened.

"It's coming through!" Madison called as Syaoran turned to stare at Sakura his eyes glowing with a strange radiance that sent a chill through her. he flashed before her eyes, and for that instant he was once again the archangel from her vision, and then in the heartbeat's passing he was once again Syaoran. His expression was stern and hard as his expression did not soften on her. He was waiting for her actions now, judging her as he had done when they first met. 

"Come now Avalon.... show me your true mettle. This is no longer a game... this is not a test. Show me now if you are capable of this, and then I will answer your questions. Time is running out Sakura! SHOW ME I WAS RIGHT ABOUT YOU!!!" he roared as the sky began swirling with red as the legacy's form was half way out. His jaws snapping with anticipation.

Sakura's eyes narrowed as she stepped forward against the gale winds which bent tree limbs and tore at her hair. She reached for the key of the Clow which hung at her neck.

"The cards cannot help you with this Sakura... they have no power against the legacy!" he yelled against the wind. She dropped the pendant and let it fall back inside her shirt on its chain. Syaoran watched her as the creature began roaring with eagerness to his triumph that seemed no more then seconds away.

Sakura raised her arms to the black nightmare. Her hands trembled as she focused on the magic Syaoran had been teaching. Madison's eyes went wide as she saw Sakura's body begin glowing as soft words began emanating from all around her in her own voice. Syaoran smirked.

"Lumen a abolitio flagrare" her hands burst into white fire and she cried out but held them aloft. The spell was ancient white magic, and it was stronger then anything she had ever tried using. Her hands burned as she tried to remember Syaoran's lessons... in most spells clarity was the key... keeping control over the power and shaping it.... giving it purpose. Her eyes glowed as she drew the power together and formed it in her hands.

The silvery energy took the form of a bow and a single arrow. Both burned and crackled like lightning and fire as she took aim at the legacy and let the arrow fly. It split the sky as it flew, and like a bolt of celestial wrath, exploded against legacy who howled out in pain as his form was engulfed in the spirits of white flame. Tides of ivory fire washed over the sky like waves on the beach. They swirled and plumed outward in a thousand glowing embers as Sakura watched.

The fire faded away and, to their horror, the legacy remained. It was unscathed, but seething as Sakura cried out.

"It didn't work!!!" Syaoran stepped in front of her with a smile as the legacy bubbled with transformation.

"A good first step... you didn't back down... but your magic is no match for it....yet..." legacy exploded forward as its skull and shoulders became a serpent's form and struck down on them like a scorpion's stinger. The appendage terminated in a gaping black mouth that frothed with saliva as it bore down on them.

Sakura watched in horror as Syaoran reached to his side and pulled a stiletto from its sheath. The blade gleamed with unnatural light as runes flashed on its metalic finish. Syaoran gripped the weapon's blade in his other hand and winced as he made a tight fist around it. With a flick of his wrist he pulled the knife from his grip, cutting a gash in the meaty palm of his hand.

Sakura gasped as he opened his bleeding hand and held it out to meet legacy. With a flick of his wrist he spattered the sky with his own blood. It did not fall to the earth as gravity would dictate, instead each amorphous drop of blood hung in the air around him. The wound in his hand glowed as he gripped the wrist with his other hand, having returned the knife to his side. Legacy was rocketing forward, but reached them too late.

"shimanagashi..." he spoke in plain Japanese, but the word for banishment was endowed with magic beyond measure, as the floating blood exploded forward in a thousand crimson beams which tore the snake appendage to sunder and continued back like a wall of swirling scarlet magic that ripped through the black form, tearing it to pieces and hurtling them back into the chasm from which it had come. Legacy pushed back, but was overwhelmed by Syaoran's magic as blood continued to erupt from his hand and explode over the demonic mass like a tsunami of pure magic. Syaoran crumpled to his knees but still forced the thing back, destroying each new appendage as it was born, all the while driving it backwards. Legacy soon vanished into the rift which sealed itself closed around it.

The winds died away to nothing as the blue sky was restored just as if the epic battle never occurred. Syaoran looked groggily to Sakura and collapsed face first onto the ground.

  
  


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"What happened to him!?" Sakura yelled at Kero. They had managed to get Syaoran back to Sakura's house and now the entire household looked over him as he lay sprawled on the sofa. Sakura had said nothing of legacy, only about Syaoran. Kero knew that the time to tell her was here, but she wouldn't be able to fully absorb it all if the brat wasn't alright.

He had tried explaining the function of the knife, that it was a tool for channeling strong magic. Sakura stopped him part way and insisted he get to the point with Syaoran. Her tone was harsh and agitated by the wound on his palm which her father had been treating with bandages.

"He should be taken to a hospital, this will leave a scar without stitches." fujitaka remarked as he finished the last bandage on the boy's hand.

"Out of the question. The doctors would inquire too much." Yue replied from the distance. Sakura bid him silent with a glance and then turned once more to the flying rodent.

"Kero... what happened to him....?"

"He's drained. The knife is a tool that yields incredible power, but takes it from the life-force of the user. The kid will be out for a couple of days... we don't have that kind of time." he pleaded.

"I will not even begin dealing with that...'thing' until Syaoran is alright." she replied firmly

"I'm touched..." Syaoran replied weakly as he struggled to sit. Sakura embraced him tightly and kissed him (much to the chagrin of Touya and Kero) before helping him sit up. Even after, she didn't stray far from him, almost as if he were a dream that could vanish from the mind if not grasped tightly.

"Sakura was very worried about you young man..." fujitaka remarked as he returned the unused bandage to the first aid kit. Syaoran stiffened lightly as he addressed his hand and winced.

"It hurts as much as I thought it would.... I'm sorry I worried you Sakura." 

Kero and Yue stared at him from a relative distance, both were alarmed. Kero had predicted a few days of comatose sleep before he would begin recovering. It had, instead, taken several hours. The previous night Yue had voiced a concern about the rapid leap in Syaoran's magic, it seemed that leap had gone farther then even the moon guardian could gauge.

These were terrifying times indeed. The legacy had returned, and it seemed that each generation of sorcerers were growing stronger. If this trend proceeds, it would not be long until magic would spill out over the world again. Kero and Yue had watched the passage of centuries, witch burnings and crusades. How will they respond when magic becomes a dominant force in this world? Should legacy be survived, much darker demons waited to cast them to the flames, demons that go by the cumulative name of "Mankind".

"Syaoran... what was that thing? And why did it know you?" Sakura finally voiced as he glanced to his feet.

"It doesn't know me, it knows who I am. It has a history with my family..." he suddenly looked up and around the room, taking inventory of all present: Sakura, the guardians, her father, her brother, and Madison.

"we will explain everything." he motioned to the guardians. "But... only Sakura may be present. Everyone else has to leave." he commanded as softly as possible. Madison looked hurt, Touya looked pissed, and as usual, he was quick to voice it.

"Like hell! Some monster is coming after my little sister, no way I am leaving."

"Sakura is my best friend, and I've been involved in all the card stuff, I can be trusted." Madison was hurt, but Syaoran lacked the time to coddle them through this. He stood, wobbly at first, and despite Sakura's protest. His eyes grew luminous as he spoke.

"What will be discussed is the business of my clan. For an outsider to learn its secrets would be a desecration. Sakura and her guardians alone are privy to this knowledge, I cannot allow any of you to hear"

"She's not part of your clan either. And once again, I am not going anywhere. You can barely stand up brat, you think you can make me move?" Syaoran's brow furrowed as small tremors rattled through the house. His eyes had grown a luminous amber. As he rose, his hair began to flutter under nonexisting gusts of wind.

" I do not wish to insult your father or start a feud between our families, but understand that I am capable of a lot more then simply standing.... I asked you to leave, don't make me move you....." Touya's eyes were wide as he began feeling a pull around his form. It was not a strong one, but enough to get the message across. The brat's strength had very little to do with muscle. He looked to his sister with a glower.

"Are you going to put him in his place? We take him in and bandage that hand, then he starts doi..."

" please do as he asks Touya."She interrupted him.

"You're kidding me! You're taking his side?!?" fujitaka stepped forward and lay a hand on his son's shoulder. He shook his head and motioned for Madison to comply also.

"I don't know what to think of a lot of this, but I believe you have Sakura's best interest at heart." Syaoran smiled a little in thanks.

"And Touya, Sakura is part of my family." he grinned as the older boy snarled and Sakura gave a soft smile that no one saw.

"Are you sure that was necessary? That was pretty mean." she admonished as soon as they were out of sight.

"Legacy is a serious matter. And it has a very dark story to go with it, one best kept secret." Kero replied as Sakura turned to look upon him her eyes were hurt.

"You lied to me Kero." 

"What?" 

"My visions, you told me..... how could you?" her eyes were brimming with tears that she bit back. Kero was her most trusted friend, even more so then Madison. He had been her guide in the Clow, her guardian against Eriol's meddlings, and a friend thought the whole thing. She trusted him, and having found out that both her guardians had known about this legacy thing since the beginning... it cut her deeply.

"Don't forget Sakura, I've known what was coming since before I met you." Syaoran replied as he stepped forward. He was unsure why he volunteered, it was probably just him wanting to come clean to her. one of the lessons of his people was responsibility, he wanted to atone for this with her. She was crying now.

"I was trying not to think about that... everyone must think I really am pathetic. They lie to me.... hide things.... tell me they are in love with me and still keep secrets." Syaoran winced at that cut which was tailored specially for him. He deserved it, but still it stung.

"We all kept this from you, but not because we thought you were weak. We... we love you Sakura. 

My people has spent three hundred years trying to stop legacy... there is only one way. That way isn't pretty. If you had known it would change nothing. No preparation can stop it, all that would serve is to make you miserable, and waste the last time we have together." his words sent a wave of terror through her. 'the last time we have together?'

"Had we told you from the very beginning, you would never have accepted the position of card captor at all. You were destined for it, just as you are destined to fight legacy. Please don't be mad at us Sakura... we wanted only the best for you... and now we are prepared to tell you everything... thought you won't like it." Syaoran said softly with no small measure of dread in his voice. 

"None of us are completely sure what legacy is, but we do know that it is a kind of retribution for the sins of Clow Reed." Kero replied as Sakura looked at him with perplexity.

"Clow Reed's sins?"

"How he came to create the cards... he used the blackest of magic to make them. the use of that power takes a heavy price... it took his soul, and placed a curse on the Clow cards.... legacy." Yue spoke.

"What?....."

"Please understand. We didn't tell you because Clow Reed was our father. He did try atoning for his mistake, he tried for the rest of his life." Kero's tone was a sad one.

"I don't understand...." she replied, trying to take it all in. Kero nodded and cleared his throat in preparation for a very long, and very tragic story. Sakura had always loved his voice, it was as whimsically soothing to her almost like she was a child again, listening to fairy tales from her father. Sadly, this story would lack a happy ending.

  
  


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Clow Reed walked amongst the humble dwellings of his surrogate family. Life had been hard for him since his master had died and left him alone in the world with no assets except the knowledge of magic and a trusty walking staff. Mankind was beginning to show signs of fearing magic, he had been driven from his home since his master had died of natural causes. It was the excuse the village had been looking for, a bad omen which explained the drought which had claimed much of the rice paddies and rendered the village in famine.

They had made it quite clear that the young wizard was no longer welcome there, and that should he return, would be stoned to death in the square. Clow traveled to the east of his mountain village, usually with only hunger as his companion. He made dew where he could, offering parlor tricks to every passerby and village he came across. Fortune tellings and blessings were hardly what they once were. Where once a conjurer was almost a celebrity, now they were growing more feared. In his master's time magic was a wealthy trade, but now in this age of warring clans and rampant strife, the lone wizard was seen as a purveyor of mystical danger. As though each of them brought along a plague of goblins or other such mystical nuances.

It was by sheer luck that Clow came upon a village at the mouth of a great river which let to a bay. The village had been founded by a wizard, and thus his descendants were more inclined to accept one of those arts. Though none among them were capable of it, they each shared a love of magic. And soon Clow's journey ended there.

Times were good as the bay offered abundant sustenance and wealth. The village grew and Clow became their own resident mage. He would offer his council to the men, guiding them with relations and trade with other villages. He was a healer and good listener to the women of the village which he especially liked. They were not ill-mannered, and not mere decoration for their men. They were treated as equals, many trained and hunted along side their husbands and brothers. The children came to adore Clow Reed as his magic and stories offered them an endless reservoir of amusement and wonder.

He felt complete amongst them, doctor, wizard, friend, and brother. This village offered him all he could ever hope for. He loved them all, and when the emperor called for the men from each village to crush an army which was arising from the Mongle territories; he grew afraid. He did a reading for his village and was troubled by what he came to see. 

  
  


"Please understand, my vision... It was quite clear. The village will be burned to ash should you all leave. You must not answer the emperor's decree!" he yelled out in the council chambers. The older men looked thoughtful, but then spoke.

"Clow reed, we cannot disobey our emperor's decree. And also this village is not defenseless. Our women are not helpless, in fact I would wager Ikusa could out battle any samurai in the land." many of the men burst into laughter as Ikusha slammed her fist into her open palm with a loud slap. She wore a pale kimono in the style of a man. She was quite beautiful, but by far the greatest fighter in the entire village.

"Please, I mean no disrespect. You have made me a home amongst you, and it is for that love that I beg you to at least leave some of the men. Perhaps Kero."

In hearing his name the young man with long golden hair smiled at the implied complement. He was one of the most noble among the village, and one of the most skilled with a sword. He was also one of Clow reed's closest friend's even though he was barely nineteen.

Yue, the unofficial leader of the village shook his head.

"Kero is one of the most skilled warriors in our village. He would be needed on the battlefield. We all would. I myself plan to lend my bow to the cause." Clow bowed, he respected Yue for his wisdom, though he was only thirty. Clow had wished either of the two men would remain.

"Clow, my friend. You have proven yourself a trusted member of our village since you first came to us all those years ago. I share your concern for our people, and so I ask a favor of you. While we are away at battle I ask that you act as protector to our people. Though you are far from a warrior, your wizardry places you as a great force. Should any threat arise I have faith that your magic and your wisdom shall guide our village." Yue's words were soft, but commanding, and the request denoted a great honor.

"I prey that my strength and wit are as worthy as you say, Yue. I also prey that the vision I had was misplaced somehow. I give you my word that I will protect our home."

"Well I would hope you do just that. Keep the village safe for us, and when we return make sure there is a great feast waiting!" Kero bellowed with youthful laughter.

"I will do just that, my friend." he replied 

The day was warm and smelled of foliage and clean earth. The magics of this land were in good balance, and he hoped that was a good omen that the battle would soon be won and his friends would return. He was fearful of who might return and who might not, but such worry was a destructive past time and so he went on about his rounds.

Heijin was talking with ikusa. The boy was a favorite pupil of the fight-master. He was shaping up to follow in his older brother, Kero's footsteps. He was training hard with the sword, and seemed to have a genuine knack for it.

He was startled by a sharp cry as two young girls bolted to him. They were twins by the names of souseiji and sousei. Clow Reed knelt to meet the pair of panting nine year olds who looked very afraid as they began babbling in unison. He needed an additional two minutes to get the story, and then he too was worried.

Their sister, Kagami had suddenly collapsed and now had a fever. Their mother, Fukohon was tending her, but had asked for Clow to come immediately. The sorcerer scooped up both girls and ran with them back to the family's home where he found the beautiful seventeen year old girl covered in filmy sweat and short of breath. Her mother was quick to explain how it happened and Clow was even quicker to examine her. 

He recognized the ailment, and thankfully knew a remedy.

"She will get worse unless a remedy is brewed. I have the ingredients save one. A herb which grows a day's journey to the west. Without it she will die." he looked down to the girl who was a pale reflection of the angel she once had been.

"Please, we must have it..." the woman pleaded as Clow reed thought. The herb was difficult to identify to one not trained in the art of healing. He would have to go himself. he was about to go off in search of tomoshibi, Yue's wife when her voice reached him.

"Set out immediately." she commanded with all the regalness of a goddess. He was hesitant to leave, but could not let the girl die.

"We will be alright dear sorcerer. The child needs you, make haste." Clow nodded and ran tword his hut, where he packed quickly. He was no older then twenty five, but he felt both like a young boy and an old man as he quickly set off in search of the only salvation for the girl. It had all happened so fast, but as he looked back to the village he was overcome by a sense of dread, he had to hurry, the feelings of dread that washed through him must have been a very bad omen for the sick girl.

  
  


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"How is it that you never told me this story before Kero?" Sakura marveled at the story about Clow reed's life. He seemed so young then, kind and good hearted, just as she had always pictured him.

"It isn't something we talk about very often, plus it happened before he created you."

"So that is where you two were named... after the people in his village. I never knew that." Syaoran commented

"I suppose it is an honor being named after master Clow's friends...." Yue replied as Kero began the rest of the story.

  
  


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The journey had been far too difficult. The terrain was rugged as drop-offs presented themselves between dense groves of thorny bush. He had made it to the clearing where the herbs grew amidst a rockface, retrieved the herbs, and set back upon the trail. He was surprised by the speed at which he was traveling. It almost was as if he were running now, and all the while he was haunted by a feeling of impending doom. It grew like a dark cloud in the panorama of his mind. He was running as he neared the final stretch. He had kept going all night, energized by fear of the vision and the fate of the sick girl. 

His breath was haggard as his legs burned and his side throbbed. He plowed through the brush and was only vaguely aware of the tearing of his cloths and the scratches which bled across his exposed skin. 

He was close to the village when the smell of smoke met his nostrils. He was terror-stricken when he spotted the mushroom of brown and black smoke which raised high into the sky over the spot where his village had once stood. He was suddenly moved by a profound panic and with a lapse in his judgement, ripped a gash in the foliage from village to where he stood. The magic was hastily used, and too destructive... no growth would replace the dematerialized verdure for several years. He didn't even pause to contemplate it when he came to see what waited beyond the perfectly empty path in the sand.

The village smoldered below, embers still ablaze, though the large fires had burned away their fuel and been extinguished. The ground was soot which made each spark of flame seem as though it were a dying sun in the cold tides of black space.

The great pillar os smoke swirled as it rose upward, infecting the clearness of day with its darkened haze. The grief-stricken sorcerer watched as the faces of death materialized and faded in the swirling amorphous tower of smoke. All was gone. Their boats were either sinking or burning, some already gone to either ending.

His eyes were stinging as the winds changed and sent the shroud of ash upon him. It snowed around him as his lungs burned with each inhalation. He walked eerily slow down the hill, a familiar path, but now alien. He knew that there was no point in rushing anymore, they were dead. He sensed their lingering terror and pain on the wind just as easily as he felt the ash as it kissed his skin. The sun was shrouded away completely now, the world had been cast away to twilight, and for Clow that twilight would never be lifted.

the village was as dead as those who lay sprawled upon it. Clow could see fragments of familiarity in the lifeless faces that now stared beseechingly to him. A child lay broken on the earth his mouth hung open and the ash fell upon him. It was unreal as the tiny flakes of burnt wood and brush now piled in the sockets of his still gazing eyes and in the cavity of the wound which opened his chest.

It must have been a parade of demons to do such evil. children of varying ages and genders bore the grim residue of a sick lust which preceded their deaths. A woman with a snowy complection was nailed to a smoldering wall, naked and fragile. Her snowy hair now was bathed in ash and she looked almost beautiful, but empty of all that she had once been.

Many were burned, many raped, but all dead. It was clear by the variety of their murders that the group who did such a thing had been having fun. The wounds were less the result of effective killers, and more playful. Arrows to the legs to cripple, then knives to the flesh.

Clow walked down the street with no conscious act of where he was going. He paused at each friend with glazed eyes to match theirs. He stopped all together when he saw Heijin and ikusa. 

The boy was nailed to a wall with his own sword, he would have died a brave little warrior, but sadly too young to win. The fighting woman who was on par with any man was proud even in death. She was surrounded by the corpses of several would-be attackers. They had shot her with seven arrows, from a distance. No man could have taken her at close range. Clow studied the face of one of the dead men. A simple bandit, the kind who had given them trouble for years. His gaze narrowed upon his blank expression with a hate that had never been known to the young wizard before. He was startled when the man's scull suddenly collapsed into ash. Clow was too far gone to realize how much dark magic was welling around him, and how out of control it was. Clow left them where they lay and continued to the place he suspected he was being drawn to, completely unaware that as he left each of the bandit's forms dissolved in a puff of ash.

The sick girl lay in her bed, mother and sisters on the floor near by. All had been violated, but none more so then the one Clow had left to defend. She was beautiful, young and firm in all the right places, but as he stared down at her naked form he saw a child. Her face was looking at the door, she had died looking away from the men who had taken her, most assuredly with degradation at being raped, but also with hope. She had been watching that door in the hopes that a hero would appear through it to save her. Clow had failed her. he fell to his knees ans scooped her naked form into his arms. With his face buried in her cold skin he wept out apologies and though he couldn't comprehend it, assurances that it would be alright. Her neck had finally been broken after the hours of hell she had endured. He held her head carefully, cradling it as if she were an infant.

He took the girl to the center of town and lay her on the open ground. He arranged her into as modest a pose as he could, and then went to get another. It took hours, but it felt like moments as bodies were collected and arranged one next to the other on the warm earth in a large circle. He stepped between two bodies and took his place in the center, kneeling.

Moved by a smoldering hate and a darkness that, if made real, could smother all light in the world leaving only a expansive blackness. He bowed to the earth and chanted softly, not knowing the words, but saying them with such conviction that the phrase soon hurtled forward like a train down the tracks. Words hung in the sky with dialects that defied comprehension and tones that rivaled the demonic. Clow snarled out in pain as the palm of each hand begin to bleed through phantom wounds.

He took no time in examination of his hands, and instead slammed them down on the dead earth, which rumbled at his touch. From where each palm made contact, the earth changed. A tiny fissure split the soil and broke away into tributaries which drew out a massive design in the circle. The inch-deep chasms drew out an elaborate pattern which connected both sun and moon in a web of pattern that all revolved around the tormented sorcerer.

"I CALL THEE BACK!!!" Clow reed screamed into the sky which rumbled and then cracked with crimson lightning. Each body grew radiant as pale skin shimmered like the moon on a clear night. The chanting continued, though Clow was not doing it anymore. He rose up and in tandem, each corpse lifted up vertically where it floated several feet off the now bloodied ground.

They begin revolving around him in a slow circle as the seal of the Clow began glowing beneath Clow's feet.

Each set of dead eyes stared at him as his ebony eyes fixed on each friend, now dead. The magic he was using was the blackest of all magics ever to be known, but he had ceased caring. The loss of his family had rendered him quite insane. With a motion of his wrist he drew the once sick -now dead- girl to him. She floated before him with a puzzled and pained expression. She blinked at him and tried speaking, but since the dead have no breath she was silent.

He reached out and touched the cold flesh where once her heart had beat. "Mirror." he spoke, and with the word, she was transformed. In a flash of swirling magical energy her human form was gone, leaving her changed and completely inhuman.

Her hair had tripled in length and now flew on ghostly winds which kept it aloft and in perpetual motion. She wore a white kimono that was so pure that it might as well have been fashioned from moonlight. Her brow was adorned with strange markings that complimented her pale and iridescent jade skin. She carried a mirror in which Clow cast no reflection. He stared at her innocent face with a bewildered expression. She had no doubt been someplace good before the sorcerer had pulled her back to her now spent shell. He was unsure of her awareness, though her eyes possessed a bleakness that could convince him of her true awareness. He looked away and bid her to return to the swirling revolution of spirits. He called the next.

Again and again he changed them, turning human into a being born of himself and thus named Clow. They were not the people he loved, their essences had left their old bodies and transcended to wherever the light goes after the form fades away. He had used black magic to draw that spirit back and imprison it within a mystical form. they would never know death again... but they would know vengeance...

  
  


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Sakura was quiet as the story paused. They looked at her as she stared down at her feet, absorbing the secret origin of the cards. She had originally seen the spirits of the Clow cards as wondrous and magical, now she almost felt dirty for having used them as their mistress.

"They were people?" she asked as though she had not heard it said, hoping that she had been mistaken.

"Yes.. Each card has a mind and a personality. They are powered by the souls of those women and children who were killed." Syaoran replied softly as he reached out and squeezed her unnaturally cold hand.

"How terrible.... what happened to them."

"Clow Reed loved them, seeing them murdered like that sent him over the edge. He did the unforgivable and imprisoned them... sealing them." Kero said softly.

"And I did the same thing when I was catching them."

"No!" Syaoran snapped with a sudden fierceness.

"You did not do what he did... they are Clow as cards or beings. The only difference is that as actual entities they can hurt others. They are confused and don't know what they are, so they lash out in frustration. If you hadn't sealed them they would only bring mayhem! They would kill more innocents Sakura..."

"The brat is right Sakura.... the spirits of those people touched whatever is beyond life, after being pulled back from it.... they were changed. Their memory was a wisp back when Clow first made them, they forgot who they were a long time ago. Now they are just the Clow, they don't know right from wrong, pain from pleasure, or good from evil.

If you were not their mistress they would be even more lost then they already are. And if you hadn't caught them they would have already killed everyone in japan." Kero reassured.

"I still feel guilty." she muttered as the story was continued

  
  


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Clow pursued the bandits for three days before coming to their camp. It was fairly late at night and yet the bandits were still for the most part awake they cheered and sang with celebration for the newest conquest that no doubt followed Clow's village. Their voices were merry, but slurred as the ale flowed as freely as their off-color singing.

The camp was humble: several tents in a circle around the exterior, a large fire where some animal -probably stolen- was roasting on a spit, There were barrels full of ale, and a large stack of spears and other implements of murder which Clow chose not to think about.

  
  


"These wars are great, I can't remember the last time we've had it so easy." The man with a tattered grey gee laughed as he spilled part of his drink on a passed out comrade.

"I know what you mean. Without their men these villages are a joke. I might as well stop brining my sword"

"It wouldn't make that much of a difference, you can barely use it as it is."

"Oh screw you." the men laughed.

"But what about that village before last? Some of those women really put up a fight."

"It's fine with me, I like a woman with a little spirit. Especially when they looked like those women did. Normally you just find a few jewels with a lot of hags and a few that even the brothels would reject... but that one was really the exception to the rule."

"Almost a shame we had to kill them so soon, we could have drawn it out a little longer."

"You know what a mistake it is to stay too long. Just makes it more likely someone will come. The last thing we need is a samurai or some.."

"Sorcerer?" Clow posed as he walked boldly into the center of camp. Many of the bandits took up a weapon and looked at the sorcerer. Clow walked straight up to the group in the center of the village. Behind him men were snickering at him and calling him a suicidal fool.

"My look at that.... what a little idiot. Maybe he's one of those kind?"

"What kind?" another man asked.

"Well look at him, he's thin, has long hair, and is dressed in such a pretty robe. Maybe he's seeing if anyone is interested." the bearded man laughed. Others made comments that were as crude as their company.

"If he's looking to get impaled on anything I do have a sword I can spare."

"Hey, don't. I want his robe, it would look good onmy future wife."

"Yeah sure..."

"What do you want with us? Besides a swift death of corse." the leader of the group finally questioned as Clow glowered.

"That village you were talking about was mine."

"We missed one? Well I'm sure we can accommodate. What do you say boys? Shall we toss him on a spit and roast him?" several cheered as they all begin drawing closer to Clow.

"You murdered my friends..."

"So?"

"They are here to kill you now."

"You really are insane...." the man knocked his bow and pulled back an arrow. With a "thunk" the arrow flew. Instead of killing Clow it was swallowed up by a blackness which erupted from the heart of the shadow itself. The wraith of livid shadow pooled at the sorcerer's feet.

"What is he!?"

"Some kind of conjurer!" the camp exploded into chaos as Clow stretched out his arms and unleashed the spirits of the Clow. From all directions the phantasmagoric emanations came. Some in flaming glory hot with rage, while others simply hung back and watched with uneasiness.

It was the essence of chaos as each spirit did what they were bound to do. The fiery card exploded through the camp with such pyrotechnic fervor that men were made to ash within step from where they once had been. The great lightning beast who had once been a young boy now tore through the throngs of his murderers with an animalistic lust that bordered madness. The elemental cards seemed most geared to violence, with the exception of the sword and fight cards... 

Clow stood there and watched as the fire cast ghostly lacerations of orange light on his skin. He watched them with anonymity for each bandit was preoccupied with their own problems. Some of them chose to fight back. Futile. No blacksmith could forge a sword capable of cutting through a spirit just as no arrow could pierce one. He turned to find a snowy white apparition at his side. The light card looked at him with a sadness that undoubtedly came from the last wisps of human memory she possessed. Her sister stood behind her, not making eye contact with the sorcerer. Instead, she watched as her siblings reveled in godless chaos. Flower petals rained from the sky amidst hails of arrows. A tide of bubbles swept over the bloody earth in some insane act of cleanliness which defeated all logic. It would have been comical if it ultimately were not so terrible.

Clow looked away from her gaze, seeing the grim truth of his descent into madness and his forfeiting of his soul. He listened to the screams and each seemed to call out his name in a shrill accusation. He felt no better after they finally stopped, the silent sounds of the night were incriminating enough as it is. 

He though back to his master... his sage wisdom had apparently been cast to deaf ears. Clow had crossed the line the aged wizard had warned him of. The blacker the magic the blacker the soul. The lesson was a well known one. You get back worse then you give. He had cheated the forces that govern life and death. Damned the women of his village to a limbo spent as spirits. Then he had went out with them and brought death to others. They had deserved it, but their blood was his curse now. He feared this retribution beyond simple death, his sacrilege would be visited back on him so much worse then mere death.

The camp began vanishing as the erase card whipped it away piece by piece. Though the traces of this massacre were mystically expunged, they remained whole in Clow's gaze. The blood still pooled around him, though now it was a manifestation of his own mind. There were faces that flashed like lightning behind his closed eyes. The faces of his dead friends, the murdered bandits, and also the faces of the men who were still at war... they had no way of knowing what had happened in their absence, it would be a month until their first campaign ended and they would be given leave. 

They would return to their home and find it gone. Each structure would be no more then a black skeleton of charred wood and blackened stone. There were no bodies, so no ivory fragments of bone would be left amidst the debris. The men could be spared that at least. They would not have to sort through the ashes looking for the remains of their daughters and wives. Their women were preserved forever in ethereal flesh. That would be no consolation to them. they wore the faces of who they were in some cases, but the mind and memory they once knew was gone. They could never be wives or daughters again. They could never love back, and probably never comprehend the concept of such a complex emotion. Clow wondered if the remains of their village would be overgrown with plant life by the time they returned. Small green sprigs growing over each blackened post, vines clinging to the ruined stone wall which had once carved out the village's perimeter. Such growth would symbolize the healing effect of time over a wound. But to them it would be no solace. Nothing would bring them solace... Clow felt his hand trembling as he realized that no magic could ease their pain. No spell could quench their anguish. Magic could change reality, but not so much that it could soften the edge that those who called Clow brother would soon feel.

He felt helpless and dirty in a way that permeated skin and bone, straight into the soul. He felt the blackness in himself, the byproduct of his own evil. 

He was returned to reality by a sudden jolt of awareness. The forest around them was being attacked now, burned, flooded, and changed with random flashes of magic. The cards had moved on from the campsite and now were diverging on random targets. Clow Reed was stunned by this. He had no idea they would behave so indiscriminately. He had brought them to the camp and freed them so that they could take their revenge. But now it seemed they were just acting out at all things. murderers had the same priority as trees. They were moved not by their own minds, but by their powers.

He grew more troubled as he realized the extent of their consciousness. They were simply vessels to their powers now. He hadn't expected them to be the women they were, but he had expected them to be sentient. These spirits seemed more like avatars to their powers. They were dispersing, but veering tword the closest village. They were pulled Tword life. When they made it there it would be a repeat of the camp... they would kill everyone with the same mindless vigor that they had purged the world of the bandits.

"ware-Iza-tame" he muttered and each spirit was pulled back to him as if they were connected by a unseen leash. They hovered around him as glowing wraiths of shapeless energy. He had created them, he needed to control them now. It was clear that the spirits were free willed, and that will was not a rational one. He was held accountable for doing such an irredeemable thing as taking their essences and sealing them in magical forms. However, if he let them roam free now... he would deserve worse then he would get. 

He knew what he had done, the evil of it all... but he could at least find a way to keep the spirits of the cards from harming anyone else... It was all he could think to do now... his soul was forfeit, but he could spare the world a legacy of random death. Or so he thought

  
  


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Sakura's eyes were shadows of the shade they once had been. The very thing that made her so special was now the very thing that smothered her light in shades of sorrow. Her empathy for others was a chain that bound so many destines to her own, and also crushed her.

"The Clow cards.... they're really did that?"

"You are their mistress, you know their true nature. You remember catching them? They act out with their powers since that is the only thing they are capable of."

"But that can't be right.... the cards aren't like they were in the story. They aren't just mindless spirits. The light card..." Kero's brow furrowed as he looked at her in question.

"The light card.... she spoke to me when I caught her. and the other cards, they don't talk, but I can feel them. they are not like that. They are.... sweet." Yue stared at her with a strange expression.

"That's not possible. The cards lost all memory of their past lives hundreds of years ago."

"If Sakura says it then I believe her. but still... if the cards are still sentient why did they choose only Sakura to talk with?" Syaoran posed. A moment passed in silence before Kero suddenly leapt up.

"Her visions! No other master has ever had them. they must be able to communicate with her by tapping in on her power to see shadows of the future. That's what makes Sakura so unique." Syaoran nodded and gave her a quick grin. He had been right when he claimed that she was special.

"If this is true... then the cards have been aware in some capacity for years. I doubt that they are truly aware of everything... but the fact that she was aware of it means that Sakura possesses a greater synchroneity with the cards then Clow Reed..." Yue commented.

"How sad for them... it must be a like a prison...." she said as she looked down to where they sat in her pouch.

  
  
  
  


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Clow reed devoted himself to making provisions for the cards during the month's time. Using his strongest magic he forged a card to bind each spirit. And for the cards he sought out to breath life into guardians who would protect them.

From the river mud he sculpted figures. A black winged puma who was endowed with the spirit of the sun itself, a spirit of the moon who wore the wings of a butterfly and drew her strength from the moon. The lifeless clay and earth was sanctified with Clow's own blood, and later, a sliver of his own soul to make each figure live. 

He named the woman Ruby Moon to signify the blood which was spilled on that moonlit night when the bandits had killed his friends. She was an idol of vengeance and strength. Her place would be to protect the cards from one who would unleash their dangerous potential.

The second figure was named for Clow's old master. Spinel would be a source of information and wisdom to guide the card's keeper. 

The sorcerer looked over to the two mummified mounds of red clay which he had fired with the aid of the fiery card. They were lifeless forms without the spark which would animate them. he would provide them with their embers of life soon enough, but he still had work to do...

The final effigy was a vessel to be the cards' new master. 

He chanted softly in words without definable meaning as he toiled in the chest of his final creation. Reaching over he took pinches of herbs from various bowls and sprinkled them in the dark recess within the figure. Each herb had significance as did the handful of earth he scooped up from the ground. The fires had been extinguished long ago, but the ashen ground was still charged with energies that related to the cards and to their master's grief. This work was based in significance, and none more then the earth which had caught the blood of his loved ones. To make these figures draw in the donated fragments of soul, they must be prepared with great care and even greater attention to detail. He used a knife to carve the incantations into their clay cocoons. Each line was precise and perfectly scripted. Spells to bind the soul to the form, spells to evoke the power of creation, spells to sanctify, spells and more spells. Each figure was riddled with such tattoos that almost were art in their intricacy of design.

"Argilla ac terra, cinis ac os, ablocare anima crescere in." 

He reached to the table where his bowls of earth and herbs waited. Taking up a blade he cut his wounded left hand again, causing fresh blood to flow. He made a fist and hissed with pain as the blood dribbled from his clutched hand. Upon opening he saw that it had repainted his entire palm red. He reached over and pressed the crimson palm to the figure's head. Leaving behind a red imprint of Clow's hand. The deed was done now...

All that remained was the sealing of the clay form and then firing. He did so quickly, though not forgetting to fill the new panel with incantations done with a different knife. His hand ached but he was finally finished.

He stared down at the new figure he had birthed. The effigy of a human boy. He would be the card's new master and guardian. Born with all the magic Clow could give him, this boy would be both a reincarnation and a kind of son to the sorcerer. He would be a new life mingled with an old one... the perfect vessel for the spirit of Clow Reed. He was named Eriol. 

Clow sat on a small bed and expelled a breath of exertion. This was the only hut in the village that was not completely annihilated by fire. Only one wall was lost and it was a mess. He was sweating from the heat and the labor, his hand was throbbing, and he was taxed in a spiritual sense. He looked over to the pillow and saw a tiny leg sticking out from under the pillow. He blinked in confusion and moved it to reveal two toys. He knew this had been a child's bed... but somehow seeing the two toys renewed the pang of grief. He didn't know the child who owned them, but he almost wept for them. they were carved from wood. Both fantastic creatures, one, a winged lion, the other a male angel. 

He held the two up and examined them in his hands, unaware that a little blood had gotten on both of the figures. The lion reminded him of his friend Kero, and the angel shared similarities to a younger version of Yue.

"Kero... Yue.... I failed you both..."

"What happened here Clow...." a trembling voice came from the open door. Clow spun around to see Kero standing there with a look of pure grief and horror. Clow could not speak. He dropped the toys and stood shakily. He had not been able to adequately think of something to say... what could he?

Kero was joined by the faces of other men from the village. Each was horrified. Many men were wounded from their campaign, but those wounds paled to the ones they wore in their eyes now.

"The village.... was attacked." his words came slow, but soon gained momentum until he wasn't pausing between sentences, but rocketing through them. hurrying to tell them everything so that the pain he felt could be quickened by not giving time to relive each detail. He didn't look at them but he saw their horror at what had transpired. The bandits, the cards, the revenge. It all jumbled together in one great landslide of horrific detail. When it was over he found them wordless. Their eyes were filled with so many things, but the most damning was the revolution that they held when they looked at him. He had taken their essences... their lives were beyond his capacity to save, but their spirits... it was a crime beyond words.

"How could you do such a thing Clow?" Kero trembled as he backed away from the man.

"I can't make it right... but I can protect the cards... I made these figures to be the card's guardians. And this one to be their master. They just need life." he turned to motion to the idols he had made of clay and blood.

He was stopped from taking another step Tword them as a single arrow shot through the opening and plunged into the base of his skull. He fell unceremoniously as the group of men turned to stare at Yue who's bowstring still vibrated. The older man's eyes were filled with tears, but also a fire.

"You killed him?" Kero questioned.

"He wasn't the same person. He was something.....dark" Yue's words were hushed, and a tremble went with them almost inaudibly.

From Clow's body orbs of radiant light erupted with spectral fire. They hurtled through the air in a great swirling hurricane, flashing with turquoise lightning that was both real and ghostly all at once. The group of men gasped in shock as the orbs rotated like planets on a suicidal revolution with one another. Then with a flash they shot outward to the figures of clay like lightning. Each orb vanished away inside the figures, but of the orbs, several veered off and vanished behind the wall.

There was an aquamarine radiance that faintly glimmered from the open wall. A soft rumbling cast the tiny pebbles and chips of stone to shiver on the ground. The men had backed away during the spiritual pyrotechnics, and now they stood ready to flee. Yue took the initiative and walked tword the strangely radiant ruin.

He was stunned by what he saw as three clay forms splintered with thousands of glowing cracks and then crumbled. The first two forms were notably not human. A winged panther exploded from his clay shell with a sudden jerk of its wings. It was terrifying and yet beautiful. The face was not truly that of a panther, it had qualities reminiscent with an Egyptian Jackle. It's form wore a breastplate and a few other adornments made of alabaster and emerald. Such regalia paled to his massive wings that were modeled for a butterfly, yet more spectacular then any to ever dwell amidst a meadow of flowers. On their black mantle intricate patterns of jade laced outward like veins of gold in a subterranean rockface. The beast blinked in unsurity as it surveyed this world to which it had just arrived.

The second chrysalis chipped away, leaving the one known as ruby moon. She was draped with flowing veils of snowy white, jet black, and of corse crimson. Her hair was fixed into an ornate style, yet it seemed to flow on some ghostly updraft. She looked down at her hands with marvel and stunned disbelief. Her wings were identical to her feline counterpart, though hers flushed with crimson instead of jade.

Yue was most shocked by the next incarnation. The clay form looked almost like a sarcophagus as it splintered away. The form that emerged seemed the most disoriented of the group. A young boy around the age of twelve. He was naked and looked completely shocked to be there. His skin was pale and seemed radiant in contrast to the darkness. He slowly sat up on the remains of his shell and studied his body. His face was familiar to Yue... a mystical quality. His hair was a dark shade that almost seemed blue. His eyes were the same hue. he looked like a boy. He had the body of one just on the verge of puberty, but those eyes shone with agelessness reminiscent of a man far older then Yue was. He looked at his comrades and seemed vaguely to know them. then his celestial gaze fell on Yue.

"Who are you?" Yue asked hesitantly. The boy thought for a moment.

"Eriol...." he replied.

"What are you?"

" I don't know." the boy looked scared as he lay there so powerful and yet so helpless. He was a child and an incarnation of the great sorcerer, Clow Reed. He didn't know who he truly was. Or what he was. Yue could never forgive Clow for taking the souls of his loved ones, but he found he could not hate this child Eriol who was, in fact, the reincarnation of Clow. He was an innocent, though undoubtedly he would have a purpose beyond that of a normal child.

"Do you know what I am?" he timidly asked.

"You are... my son." the older man replied softly. he had been a father, but due to the actions of the bandits and Clow, that was no longer the case. He didn't know why he was so ready to accept this boy as his own. but he felt it was right. He would be Eriol's father.

The boy smiled at him suddenly as if the words were magic. They seemed to evoke false memory within him. He painted the image of Yue as his father with no more to work with then the simple blind love of a child. Yue walked to the boy and picked him up. He was light in the man's arms.

Eriol clung to him with timid affection and Yue felt his eyes streaked with tears of longing for his wife, his child, and a kind of strange happiness due to this child. They were joined by the two figures which introduced themselves with the names they had been given. They, like Eriol, had no knowledge beyond that.

Their attention suddenly went to the shadowy corner of the ruined hut as a sound reached them. in the darkness two figures stood. A lion with the wings of a great white bird and an angel with silver hair. These two radiated a strange power that the previous effigies did not. They also were aware of what they were and the context of how they came to be. 

It was in the darkness of night, when everyone was sleeping that Yue spoke to the two nameless spirits. He was relieved that they didn't dispel his place as surrogate father to the boy... but he was troubled by their expressions as they looked on the child. Not with hate or a thirst for vengeance... with a grim comprehension of what he was.

"We were not meant to be. The wizard Clow did not mean to create us. Why we were created isn't entirely clear in itself. But while the others do not yet remember their place, we do. Fate has churned into motion. Clow had intended the boy to be the card's master. But that is not meant to be." the angel spoke while the lion served as sentinel to assure the conversation was not being overheard.

"Was I wrong to call him my son?"

"No... the boy has a purpose in this life. He will be your son until he dies... then he will belong to the Clow cards just as the Spinel Sun and Ruby Moon and the two of us do. Clow intended to make that boy the card's master, but that is not his choice. Eriol will be a guide to the card's true masters. But in this one lifetime his purpose is unknown. Even we don't know everything. Whatever power decided to give us life gave us a small fragment of knowledge about what we must do during this one existence.

When the boy dies we will have new roles. But in the meantime we are to help him remember all the magic of Clow Reed. ."

They looked over to the sleeping boy who was a child and a sorcerer all at once. He was innocent and yet also guilty. 

The men would disperses tomorrow. There was no reason to rebuild... without their loved ones this place was no more then cursed earth. Kero had decided to stay with Yue and the boy for a time, but aside from that, they were all separating. Yue looked at the angel and was afraid of him in some strange capacity. He knew that these familiars to Eriol would not harm him or the boy, but they all seemed so specialized. It all whispered of some great purpose that was beyond their full grasp. He looked over to the distance where Clow reed's body still lay.

"What have you done to us?"

  
  
  
  


*******************

  
  


"Eriol's not human?"

"No. He's like us. His purpose is to help the new master master the cards. Clow intended to make the boy their master, but instead he became their master's guide."

"What did he have to do?"

"Excuse me?"

"You said that Eriol had something to do before that?" Sakura questioned. It was Syaoran that answered.

"He took a wife and founded my clan." Syaoran's eyes were downcast as Sakura looked at him. It was amazing how life ties itself in such elaborate circles. Clow created the cards, then became Eriol. Eriol started Syaoran's family. The cards brought Syaoran to Sakura, and now their lives were intertwined. She was shocked by the revelations that had come already, and those which may be disclosed soon. Much of the story had still not been heard, but what she knew was just more depth to an already immense tale.

"The cards have been passed down thought my family for countless generations. The cards choose their master, and for a very long time they only chose from our family. Things continued like that up until the last generation. That is when the cards vanished....and sought you out." he met her eyes which brimmed with disbelief at what he had just said.

"Yes. The cards have had many different masters. Each generation they are claimed, then rejected. The process repeats itself over and over again." Kero replied.

"You've had other masters too?" she addressed to the golden effigy.

"Yes... they fade from our memories each time we are inherited, but yes. We have had many in our lifetime."

"Why would they give up the cards?" she asked numbly.

"Because legacy came..." a silence filled the room and made it as dark and still as any crypt.

"What is the legacy?"

"No one knows... many think it is penance for what Clow did... a curse that comes each generation and brings misery. The card master and their guardian are the only ones who can stop it, and afterward the card master never is able to use the cards."

"Guardian? Like Kero? And what do you mean can't use the cards?"

"They can't use the cards because it hurts too much." his words wore a shadow of hesitation upon continuing, but he did.

"The guardian isn't like Kero or Yue.... your guardian is the hope card."

"I.... don't understand."

"you created a hope card?" Kero questioned, though he did know the answer.

"But it has no power." Yue continued as Sakura nodded mutely.

"The Clow cards are powered with human souls... that's what it will take to give the hope card power. A human sacrifice." Yue spoke coldly and for it Sakura could almost hate him for being so blunt about this revelation which she would prefer not to process.

"You can't be saying what I think you are!?" she shot up.

"Yes we are." Syaoran replied with a tone of voice that Sakura had never heard. It was hollow and sad, and also defeated. " legacy is a void... a black hole. The only power that can stop it is the hope card... but to use it you must find a person to endow it with. The person must be tied to your heart in some way. A parent, sibling, lover, or friend. You seal that person along with the card to create the strongest of the Clow cards. The hope can destroy legacy, but the person is lost in the process. It's a high price... but one you must pay." Sakura was on her feet and practically twitching with anxiety and agitation. She suddenly snapped around to him with an anger in her emerald eyes that had never before burned. She loved Syaoran, but he was telling her that she had to kill someone! The information was flowing so quickly that she almost staggered from it. For the first time since she met him, she was inclined to actually yell at him. She had been tempted before, but in the beginning, intimidation and later love always stopped her. 

"What is wrong with you!? You want me to kill someone I love!? There has got to be another way!!!" she shouted. He snapped up and took her by the shoulders. His eyes were fierce as he scowled right into her core.

"YOU THINK I WANT THIS!?! legacy has been a dark curse on my family since the beginning! Every generation one of us had to give up the person they love the most to save the world! We have spent hundreds of years trying to stop it, but it can't be done!"

"Just because your family has dealt with this doesn't make you an expert Syaoran! Reading scrolls and manuscripts doesn't make you an expert. Especially about what it's like to ask someone to give their life!" Kero was cowering behind Yue as the fight roared. Syaoran's voice boomed as he silenced Sakura.

"Yes I do! I lost my father to legacy!!!" Sakura's eyes widened as a tear streaked his cheek. 

"My mother was the card mistress before you... Eriol came and helped her to become master to the cards just like he did you... and then the legacy came." his eyes were both unnaturally light and unnaturally dark.

"She had to sacrifice the one she loved best. My father became a Clow card and died stopping legacy. I never met him, never knew him, all because of that demon. My mother lost her humanity to legacy... she had to kill her own husband."

"Oh god, Syaoran...."

"That's part of the reason I still tried to beat you as a card captor even after I started liking you... I knew that someday the legacy would come. And now it has... 

Magic is wonderful, but also it has a price. I never taught you that... I failed there. I was only able to open the door for true magic in you... teach you how to feel your way through it. I wish I had time to teach you this... magic demands respect. And sometimes it demands sacrifice.

I wish I could take this from you Sakura, but we each have a destiny... yours is to stop the legacy from doing what it came to do."

"What did it come to do?" she asked though she already knew.

"Legacy is the worst form of evil. a murderer is more then just evil... he has anger and jealousy and sometimes love. He has a lot of other sides to him, shades of grey, some darker and others lighter. That makes him human, the fact that he isn't just one thing.

Legacy is a void, it's a emptiness of everything. No mercy. No anger. Nothing but a emptiness. It will come through that rip in the sky and swallow everything into itself. It doesn't kill for a reason, it's the kind of evil that is beyond evil. no reason, just cold oblivion."

"No it's not true... in my visions. Even when it tried to come through... I sensed things from it. Powerful emotion. There was hatred, terrible rage, and a kind of need... I don't know how to describe that... it wanted something from me. They were horrible, but they were the strongest emotions I have ever felt."

"That's impossible Sakura... legacy is a void. We've proven it."

"I'm not imagining this... I felt it so strong! It had to be from the legacy, it was the only thing there..." she paused as it occurred to her, in all of her recent visions she had felt those horrible feelings... but what if Syaoran was right. What if they weren't really coming from legacy. She could feel the emptiness from it. The hate, rage, and need, however, seemed to come from everywhere. It was so strong that it couldn't be tracked to a single point. She felt her blood turn to ice as she thought about that grim and terrible possibility... something horrible was generating those feelings, but what if the demon wasn't the only thing there with her?

Syaoran touched her cheek to try and offer her some comfort; she had gone so pale so fast. His hand felt cold on her skin, like the life had ceased radiating within his touch. She shivered.

"I know this is a lot to deal with Sakura, but legacy will resurface soon. I don't know if I can use the knife again..." he still sounded weak and defeated. God she could hate him for that, it forced her to the strong role.

"Tell me about the hope card..."

"It's the most powerful card in the deck. It uses the connection between the sacrifice, or avatar, and card mistress to synchronize its power. The greater their connection the stronger the hope is. That's why you have to choose someone who is very close to your heart. Love is the core of hope, and hope is the strongest weapon ever to be. 

You have to choose soon Sakura. Tomorrow at the latest. The legacy is trying to break through right now." Syaoran motioned to the sky beyond the window. Sakura's eyes widened as she saw murky shadows swiping and churning beyond the fabric of our world.

"It's not strong enough to get through right away. It's too drained from the first try." Kero reassured. It was still scary as hell to see it moving beyond the blue like the shadow of a shark.

"What does it do?"

"The legacy has a physical form, though not a fixed one. It changes and remakes itself at its whims. It has magical weapons and physical ones. This form can die. Afterward it returns as a soul. This is the most dangerous form... it is a void impervious to all attacks, it can only be stopped by sacrificing the hope to it." Yue replied

"What?"

"The hope card is absorbed into the emptiness. The only way to fill an empty soul is with hope. So it is with the legacy. It drains the light from the card and eradicates the demon's core. It stops legacy but also takes the card's spirit with it. There is no way to return it." Yue's words were as cold and dead as the lunar orb from which he drew his essence. Sakura felt a despair filling her as she realized that they were right. She would have no choice.

"How can I kill the person I love most?" she whimpered. Syaoran held her and he still felt cold. She no longer shivered since she felt just as cold as he did inside her core. Their foreheads touched and he kissed her softly on lips. There was no passion in it, just a love mingled with sadness.

"It's your destiny Sakura. My people can only do what they always have done. Preyed for the mistress and the avatar of hope's souls. And after legacy has been destroyed; erase the memory of it from the rest of the world. They couldn't deal with the memory of the destruction. It will be painted to look like a earthquake, bombing, tsunami, or some other disaster to warrant the aftermath. Only a few people will remember. And you will be one of them.

You won't be the same after it Sakura. You will never see the cards the same way, never see the world the same way, and you will never be able to forget that you had to choose someone you love to be lost forever.... it is your destiny, as it had been for my mother, for all who came before you, it is the legacy of the card captor...."

  
  


*******************

  
  


Madison had gone home hurt that Sakura had not told her the secret. Sakura watched her leave, and with her, Sakura's old life departed forever. Syaoran had been invited by her father to stay the night. 

How she loved her father. He had no magic, but he could see into people's minds and hearts far better then any sorcerer ever to be. He saw the truth about how bad this fight was going to be. The truth that Sakura's own life may be forfeit in the battle, but that her spirit would forever be lost. No offer was made for Syaoran to bunk with Touya or take the couch. Syaoran would be sleeping with Sakura tonight.

Normally such a thought would be a nightmare to any parent. There was no romance tonight. Neither Sakura nor Syaoran would be able to do anything but comfort the other with their presence, scent, and embrace. Wether her father knew the truth about what they needed or wether he believed they would make love was inconsequential. She went to her room and changed into her pajamas which seemed childish and precious to her. they were soft and pink with a cartoon penguin emblazoned on the chest. She had continued to wear the PJs since she was a kid because they were warm and reminded her of simpler and better times. Now she treasured the faint aura of innocence that they clung to and she now had lost.

Syaoran entered with Kero on his shoulder. It was unnatural to see them so peaceful. And also unnatural to have Kero so quiet. He flew to his drawer and closed himself in on the little bed Sakura had made for him. Syaoran smiled softly to her and undressed to his boxers. Sakura watched in the faint dusky light. He looked beautiful to her as his hair fell over his eyes when he lifted his shirt over his head. His body was attractive and under different circumstances the image of him disrobing in front of her would be incredibly erotic. He undressed and she watched with all the monotony that would exist for a couple who had been together like this for years. His boxer shorts were green and baggy up to the elastic waist. He hesitated only a moment before slipping into bed with her. her back molded to the contours of his front as his gentle and yet strong arms encircled her. he lay his head on her shoulder and kissed it tenderly.

"I love you Syaoran..." she voiced. It was a simple sentence, but it held so much. His strength, his genteelness, the fact that he was able to hold her now and make some of the pain fade. He returned her words with just as much weight to them.

"Legacy will come tomorrow?"

"Most likely... it should be able to break through in the afternoon."

"I'm telling my dad that I am leaving tomorrow." he was quiet.

"Their world isn't mine anymore. I can't do what I have to do and come back like nothing happened. I think he will understand that. I didn't tell him the whole story, but I told him that what I have to do will be very hard. He understood how hard..." she had tears running down her cheeks. Syaoran squeezed her a little.

"I have something I need to ask you Syaoran.."

"You are one of us Sakura. You can come live with my family. They will understand what you've gone through as best anyone can. They'll love you too..."

"You knew I was going to ask?"

"I have wanted you to come back with me... I planned to take you back after we got through legacy. I have a ticket for you back at my apartment."

"Thank you..."

"I wish it could be under happier circumstances. I wish all of this could be..."

"I know..."

"Syaoran?"

"Hmm?"

"Why does this feel like the last night for us?"

" legacy will be a hard fight... it might be. I'll be with you though..."

"I've read books like this. The last night before the final confrontation with the evil warlock... I feel like we should be doing something. Preparing weapons or going over battle plans... even making love. But all I want to right now is be held and cry. Some hero... you would have been the better card master Syaoran."

"Stories are never like this. Heros in stories don't have to save the world by killing a friend. They don't face a real test. We do.. I love you Sakura, and more then that, I respect you. You are the one true card mistress... and you will make me proud just like you always do." he buried his face in her hair and smelled her scent. She smelled sweet and clean, innocent in a world of impurity she was his little pink flower.... but somehow she was so much more. She was Sakura Avalon, and Sakura Avalon was not a frail petal on a branch. He let his aura merge into hers and held her as she fell into a dreamless sleep. She felt so good in his arms...

How he would love to take her back home with him. But somehow he had known that this was the last night for them. the ticket he mentioned was waiting for her at his apartment, but there was only one left since only one would be going back. He remained awake, breathing her scent and listening to her breath. 

  
  
  
  


*******************

  
  


Morning had come and Sakura found herself alone in the tangled sheets and covers. Kero told her that Syaoran had left at dawn. He had refused to say where he was going, just that he would find her. Kero was growling as he spoke of Syaoran, but Sakura silenced him.

"It doesn't matter Kero. What I have to do today... I want to do it alone."

He hesitantly bowed to his mistress. She seemed different. She smelled of the brat, but he could tell that they hadn't done anything during the night. Her difference was a depth that had never before mirrored itself in her. Sakura's life was a innocent one. She had fought, but never killed. Felt passion, but never was engulfed in it. This was a new morning for her; the dawn of a new life. Her change was subtle, she had a poignancy to her eyes that made them seem as ancient as the gaze of the pharaohs emblazoned on stone in Egypt. Her movements seemed softer somehow, more smokey. And most notable was a shadow which hung on her in a way no shadow had ever done before. 

She had made the choice. The choice presented to all card masters, and finally accepted by all. She would choose someone to die in the hope that their life could save others. 

She left without saying goodbye. Her father walked to the study as though he were a zombie, he was so sad to have her leave... so sad to have lost her. he would explain to his son, though he wasn't completely sure how he could do it.. He didn't understand so much, and he himself was not really dealing with the pain of it all.

Kero looked to the door from which Sakura had left, his eyes shone with sadness on many levels. Once she killed legacy she would no longer be his master. He would miss this girl so much... just as she would miss the side to herself that she now lost.

  
  


*******************

  
  


The murderer watched from the top of a brick building that overlooked her prey. It was clear out, but the world seemed grey. She had been watching her victim for twenty minutes so far, the girl was so blessedly unaware that she was marked to die. 

She went about her tasks as producer/director/writer with a happiness that made the tasks seem like play instead of work. She was laughing as she went about her tasks as Sakura plotted her murder.

Madison would trust her... she would be able to lure the girl into a deserted alley, just far enough away from the filming that the light show would go unnoticed. Once there she would seal Madison to the hope card, thus endowing it with the power to stop the legacy.

Sakura didn't fully know why she chose to watch Madison before killing her. she knew it wouldn't help. She watched her best friend and felt her eyes stinging with tears. Madison would die and Sakura would have her blood on her hands. Kero had explained the process to be a painless one, there would be no blood... but Sakura would forever feel it on her hands. She would see Madison's face just as she saw those of the women who died in Clow's village.

She made ready to descend the building and discretely take Madison away, but oddly as she moved, she did so away from the girl. Sakura found herself running to the other side of the building, then with a flash of magic, escaped into the sky via the fly card. She flew fast and recklessly. She didn't make an effort to go unseen, just to escape as fast as she could.

She was a murder... she was so ready to take Madison's life. Sakura was terrified of the woman she was becoming. She had chosen her friend so quickly.... 

Her attention was suddenly caught by a figure dressed in black who stood on a roof looking up at her. Syaoran. She plummeted in a quick descent and landed with a thud as her sneakered feet met asphalt hard. The angelic wings dematerialized to twinkling embers of light, and then faded away all together. she was panting with red eyes and a anguished expression as she looked at him with a thousand thought churning through her mind.

"Hi." he said with a sad smile.

"I... almost killed Madison. She is my best friend and I almost took her life." he remained silent as he stood at a distance from her.

"She was going to be a famous director and I almost stole her future away. I almost killed my best friend Syaoran! What kind of monster am I!?"

"You aren't one..."

"You're wrong."

"Would you like another lesson?"

"What?"

"I am your teacher... let me teach you one more lesson."

"Ok..." she replied hesitantly

"It's about destiny. You see there are two views of destiny. One is that everything we do is already mapped out. The other is that we make our own destiny with each choice. The truth is that it's somewhere between the two." the light was to his back casting his face in shadow.

"No one has the right to force a destiny on someone else. It's the cruelest of all crimes against someone. You can't just choose someone to give their life for the greater good..."

"But..." he cut her off.

"But you can accept their decision." his eyes burned brighter then the sun in the heavens.

"What?"

"I love you Sakura... and you love me." her eyes widened.

"NO!!"

"I came to japan because you were going to be faced with this. I wanted to help you. So let me fight for you!" he replied as her eyes shined with fresh tears.

"How can you ask me to do this to you! I just found you!!!"

"I am begging you Sakura... this is my destiny, my place with the cards. My place with you... this is what the oracles of my people saw, and this is what you saw too. I will become the hope and I will stop legacy from taking more fathers away from their sons."

"No please Syaoran...." she backed away, but was caught in his arms as he advanced and engulfed her.

"I love you Sakura, that is why it has to be me. I feel it." she was looking at his feet as she spoke with a defeated tone.

"I don't want to loose you."

"You can't. I'll be with you, if you can see me or not."

"Please don't make me do this, Syaoran..."

"Be strong Sakura, you are the card mistress."

"I don't want to be that anymore..." she sniffled.

"Then be strong because you are the woman I am in love with, and the future matriarch of my clan. I would never be able to love a weak girl, and your clan will need you too." she was shocked that he had bequeathed a title that would only be bestowed on his wife, to her. that knowledge didn't dull the ache, just augmented it.

"I'll never love anyone again... my life began with you, and it ends with you." she whispered as she choked back a sob. She reached into her pouch and withdrew the pastel pink card. The hope was a heart, shielded in wings. It was beautiful, but she could not bear to look on it. 

Syaoran took it from her hand and examined the card. He smiled at her.

"It looks cool." he laughed a little. His eyes stared into her core with a love she had never known before him, and would never know again. She slipped the chained pendant from her neck and whispered the chant. With a flash of rosy light, the key manifested itself into the ornate wand. She held it at her side as though it were the sword that would kill him.

"I want you to take this Sakura. So a part of me will always be there to protect you." he slipped the pendant which became his sword from his neck. It's black onyx stone shined with a rich luster in the light. She numbly took hold of it and clutched it in her fist as though it were a rosary and she a catholic priest. He smiled at the image of her holding the ancestral sword of his people. She looked like a Li.

He straightened himself and held the card over his chest, face out. He was smiling at her for her own benefit, though she still cried. She slowly rose the mystical implement over her head and prepared to seal the two together.

"I love you Syaoran." she whispered as her eyes spilled down her cheeks. He looked at her as she was about to strike him down.

"You're not alone. I promise I will never leave your side." she brought the wand down with an anguished cry and struck the hope card.

  
  


*******************

  
  


Kero rose his head from the pillow and sniffed the air. 

"She did it."

  
  


*******************

The sorcerer, Eriol, stood on the terrace of his mansion home. The stars shined with unnatural luminosity in the celestial panorama. 

"Something wrong master?" ruby moon questioned as she joined him on the terrace.

"It has begun." they watched the stars burn in the night with mutual sympathy for the card mistress.

  
  
  
  


*******************

Li Lerae stood alone on the balcony. Her eyes were downcast as she felt the rippling magics of the hope card. They brought back dark memories of the time she last saw her husband.

How sad that the little cherry blossom now was facing the same heartache. She had chosen and now the great matriarch of the li clan had lost her only son.

He had called her earlier today with something to the extent of a last will and testament. He sent a few goodbyes, and a few decrees. One of which was that Sakura be regarded as if she were his wife. She was now to be the matriarch of all the clan..

Meilin had cried and ran off to be alone.

Kai had went off to the dojo where he rendered his knuckles bloody on the training dummy.

The great council held a meeting where nothing would be accomplished aside from long winded accusations and aristocratic whining.

His sisters went numb; each retreated to their rooms as they had done when their father had been killed.

The clan mourned.

Lerae watched in silence.

  
  


*******************

  
  


The sky spun like the waters of a cup of tea as clouds and turquoise mingled in unnatural spirals. The colors of the sky, the trees below, the building, and Syaoran especially became exaggerated to the point they all seemed to radiate a neon glow. The brightness was blinding, but Sakura could not blink.

Winds swirled around the young sorcerer as his hair danced wildly with flaming plumes of silver light. There was no pain, just a disconcerting sense of lightness, both physically and mentally. He felt his mind and memory drifting off as if all he was was a small boat on a still lake with cut ropes. His mind became fuzzy as the white haze which blurred his vision blurred his mind. He thought of Sakura, he loved her as he had before, but now there was a strange reverence to her. he suspected it was since she was the card mistress, and he, a Clow card becoming... he didn't mind that. She was his goddess long before now.

Sakura's cheeks streamed with tears as she watched his form begin to dematerialize along with the hope card's. They both rippled away into swirling tendrils of luminous wind which stretched out in its serpentine plumes around her. she felt it brush against her cheeks and almost thought it to be his lips. Then it all swirled together into the shadowy form of a card.

All traces of the magic faded away as the colors around her returned to normal along with the sky. The card hovered in the air for a moment before falling to her feet. She felt a radiant life to it that she had not felt from it before. It was alive now, just like all the other cards.

She picked it up and looked at it. Syaoran was emblazoned on the card as he had been in her vision. The hope card's old wings were now his own. he was naked from the waist up and she saw the rosy hued chest were his new heart resided. His wings were stretched out and draped with chains as the rest of him was. His arms and legs also were bound by the silver chains, holding him aloft and rigidly postured.

He was gone now. No longer human, but instead a card... the hope. She felt colder then she had ever been, and also truly lonely. She could no longer look at the card right now, and so she slipped it into her pouch. His sacred pendant, however, was kept in her hand as she descended the building with the jump card and proceeded to walk home. 

The street was busy, but Sakura was alone on it. Everyone she passed was a shadow of humanity, she didn't sense any warm auras from them, and if she had, she would have recoiled from them. She was alone on that street which was filled with stupid and ignorant people who never would know her pain. Someone special had just died and they didn't recognize it. It was another day for them, and somewhere inside her heart Sakura didn't hate legacy as much for trying to wipe these people away. They were normal and she was not.

Her mother had died, but she was too young to feel that grief fresh. She was surprised that she wasn't sobbing, but instead marveled at the strange feelings that now flowed through her. resentment and sadness. A darkness she had never touched before now lived inside her. she didn't miss him yet, but she soon would. She both blessed and cursed the icy numbness that made her heart feel like lead and her stomach knot into sobs that soon would escape her in a flood of salty tears. 

The sun shone down on her and did not warm her. the breezes that swept tiny cherry blossoms through the air didn't calm her or inspire her with their beauty. the laughter of those people only darkened her mood. She walked home alone under a turquoise sky that soon would split open and give birth to a black demon who's core was made of the same icy blackness that now Sakura felt inside her. Was this loneliness the true legacy of the card mistress?

  
  
  
  


*******************

Sakura had walked to the Tokyo tower which seemed to shine like gold in the setting sun's light. Hours had passed and she still felt numb and cold. The sky overhead swirled with demonic wrath as the black entity twisted like a dark tide in the golden halcyon skyway. This was the place her fate had been sealed...

She was judged by Yue here. This is where the final judgement was passed on her, she was named mistress of all the power of the Clow cards. And in that sentencing she was tied to the destiny of killing Syaoran. She resented the cards and the destiny she was handed as their master. She ached for Syaoran and longed for the dream that now was dead. 

She would kill legacy here, on this hollowed earth where her destiny had been sealed. It was poetic to her, this was the axis of all her great battles. The judgement, Eriol, and now legacy. Her mind swam with confliction. Love and hate for the people who walked to and from the observation tower. Pity and hatred for the patron sorcerer of the cards. She was the card mistress.

Her mind flashed as she spun around and saw the forms descending upon her. Yue, Kero, and Madison. She rode atop the great lion like a character in one of her books. The people were gasping in shock and offering shrill cries as the great lion descended before her.

"You've been seen." she replied.

"They will forget soon enough.. Syaoran's clan will cast the spell to erase the memory of all magic after legacy is dead." Kero replied as he regarded the awestruck onlookers.

"Sakura! You..." Madison was cut off in mid sentence and mid step as Sakura's eyes fixed on her and froze her with their fierceness.

"You shouldn't have brought her, she could be killed."

"You shouldn't be alone." Kero replied feebly.

"I am the card mistress.... I am alone."

"How can you say that!?" Madison cried out. Sakura just looked at her.

"I killed Syaoran."

"What?" she backed up a step, sure she had misheard.

"I sacrificed him to make a weapon. He said that he loved me; I murdered him." Madison blinked in disbelief.

"Don't worry, you'll forget everything soon enough. The terms of the clan's spell is to erase all memory of magic. That includes your memories of me..." Madison's eyes blurred with tears at both her friend's words, and the soft tone she spoke them in. She sounded like Syaoran's mother.

"You deserve something better then this Madison. You shouldn't have to remember legacy, the cards. I've been ignorant and then I've been aware of the truth about magic. Trust me when I say that you'll be happier going back to a time when it's all just a wonderful fantasy. You will never know the price for it. You'll never have the chance to miss Syaoran." her eyes were shimmering with crystalline tears as her hand went to Syaoran's pendant. Madison reached out and hesitantly touched the sorceress's cheek.. Sakura was doing this for love, the love of Syaoran, the love of the innocent people around her, and the love of her childhood friend. She was still Sakura deep down, but now there was feet of snow blanketing it. Madison didn't understand what happened to Li, but this sudden change in Sakura must be the result of it. 

"What made you change like this? You aren't yourself anymore."

" I am the card mistress. And I'll destroy legacy! I'll make sure you get the chance to have a normal life... your story will have a happy ending. With a healthy flare for the dramatic." Sakura laughed softly as she turned her attention to her guardians.

"Protect her."

"As you ask, mistress." Yue bowed and took a position before Madison. His wings stretched out and ushered the girl closer.

"this is where we part ways, right Kero?" he hung his head in confirmation.

" you've been such a big part of my life. I'm going to miss you so much. I love you, both of you." she wiped the tears from her emerald eyes. "Try to remember me, even after you have a new master."

"We could never forget you Sakura." she smiled and turned her attention to the tower and the sky which swirled beyond it.

"You are taking too long." she addressed the legacy. After a moment more she scowled with an icy determination she stepped forward.

"Fine, you wana be shy... I'll drag you out kicking and screaming!" her features exploded with ethereal light. Both hands shot tword the sky and she shimmered with alabaster light. The crowd of onlookers and the guardians gasped in wide eyes disbelief as she began to almost levitate amidst the radiating magic that was blindingly visible to even the least magically inclined. Kero gaped as she did more then recited a spell that already existed, but instead created one in plain Japanese.

"Magics of both dark and light do my will now. I, Sakura, bid thee split the heavens and open the sky to me. Bring me the demon known as legacy! Let the skies part and the demon stand before me now!!!" the earth rumbled as the will of one small girl tore the heavens and ripped the demon from the fabric of the sky which swirled in a maelstrom of red and black clouds as dervishes of hot wind tousled her hair. 

The twisting amorphous form of legacy spiraled down to earth and took hold around the great tower. It's black flesh knit together in terrible contortions around the Tokyo tower. Then with a great monolithic roar it tore the tower to fragments which rained down atop the fleeing civilians. Sakura watched it as it took it's viperous form. the demon legacy stared down on her as it towered into a bloody sky and then smiled hatefully to her with a dark anticipation of what was to come. Sakura returned the smile.

  
  
  
  


Destiny is a tricky creature that is both or creation and our master.

In some respects we are born to it like we are to our blood,

in others aspects we sow it like a seed in a garden.

It is our road and our momentum.

It is our chain and our prison.

It is our enigma and our answer.

  
  


Not the end.....


	4. The Gift

Disclaimer: don't own em, probably for the best since I would undoubtedly bring a lot of blood and dark stuff to the series. Granted, I would also bring a lot more then them just hugging... heh heh heh.... read into that however you see fit ^_^ this is actually a shorter chapter. It's all fight pretty much. Well don't loose faith in me, I still have one last chapter of legacy left, so don't go popping those cyanide pills just yet. The last chapter will take place in Hong-Kong. I know it's a lil depressing, but trust me. Once again I apologize for the wait between chapters. College math is the bane of my existence and may have me chomping a cyanide pill all too soon.

  
  


Let me know what you think at: logan91235@aol.com 

  
  
  
  


Legacy

  
  


"The Gift"

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


The demon was unleashed, and so terrible that words trembled on the tongue when spoken in its horrifically massive shadow. It stood amongst the fragmented steel of the once proud and now ruined tower; gloating at the impending carnage which it was relishing as one might a particularly pleasant perfume on the air or a divine taste as it rolled over the tongue.

It's form bubbled with a physical manifestation of the dark glee that this emanation of wickedness reveled in. It was churning with motion as bladed protrusions erupted from it's livid black flesh and then melded back into the form. it was almost dragonlike, though more evil then any western serpent. This form seemed favored, Sakura had seen it take this visage far more frequently then it had any of its other hellish incarnations. Great leathery wings had sprouted from it's bone riddled vertebra and now blocked out the heavens and a shadow darker then any night upon them all. It's chest pulsated with gnawing motions that resembled the chewing undulations of a spider too closely. Beyond that grim false mouth reddish black flesh vanished away into a hole that seemed to go on forever.

The beast was terrible to look at with normal eyes, it was the epitamy of nightmare, but to Sakura's eyes its terror was more profound. She saw it both in the physical realm, and the magical one simultaneously. Spires of phantasmic evil ran to it like veins in a dozen directions. It's form was in true perpetual change in this spectrum. It was swirling with fangs and claws and so many other hellish appendages that both defied explanation and the idea that nothing so terrible could be real.... for it was. It's aura, more terrible then the beast itself, had latched itself onto the earth like a tumor and proceeded to twist and pulse with grotesque imagery.

Legacy snapped its jaws as the skies spun to the wicked axis of this demon that made their world his, only by existing within it.

There were screams as the innocent people ran. Legacy snorted at them with what passed as a scoff of sardonic humor to their plight. It exploded outward and atop them. it's black flesh shot forward like a tsunami and engulfed a dozen people who were swallowed up in the sea of livid flesh. Madison screamed and Sakura trembled as they watched the people smother as the demon's flesh flooded their mouths and forced itself down their windpipes where it did something that was as painful as it was fatal. They stopped squirming and submerged into the black creature.

It turned to Sakura..

She barely had a moment to step back before the beast was charging her like a bull, dragon, and flood all at once. It's form was changing with explosive speed as it rocketed forward. Horns and fangs were joined by hundreds of viperous forms which snapped like serpents. The ground rumbled as Sakura was nearly in its jaws.

With a sudden leap that almost could pass for flight she hurtled herself from its immediate path and released a flash of silver lightning directly at the demon. It hissed with the sudden sting, but it was just that, a sting. Sakura was running like a madwoman as the thing turned in pursuit and exploded with blades which flung out like the tails of a nest of scorpions. Sakura cried out as Kero swooped down and knocked them both out of the way. He turned and with a flash of reddish orange light, engulfed the demon in fire.

"Kero!" she cried as the demon smacked him away with a whiplike black appendage. It was charred, but regenerating with terrifying speed.

"Sakura! The hope card!" Yue cried as she frantically took it up. It was glowing as she withdrew the wand and struck the card.

A strange silver radiance filled the surrounds as the card exploded into glowing tresses of magical energy. The light took the form of an angel. He was seemingly asleep, floating delicately as if underwater. His form was chained and it broke Sakura's heart to hear the silvery bond clink and rattle as he was held tethered to the earth. He wore two massive wings that hung out, suspended in place by the bonds. The white feathers seemed radiantly silver in the alabaster glow that he himself was casting. He was Syaoran.... His shaggy cinnamon dusted hair swayed in the gentle currents of mystical wind which rocked him back and forth. His face was more innocent then Sakura had ever seen it. It was Syaoran's but without the determination or scowl... it was as if the life of training and sacrifice had been a dream, which had now passed away into dreamless innocent sleep. His skin was strangely radiant and ethereal. Sakura saw the slight crimson glow from his chest, it undulated like a heartbeat. She wanted to touch him, but somehow was aware of the possibility that he would turn to mist if embraced. 

"Syaoran?" she whispered.

He did not reply.

"He's not the boy anymore Sakura. He's the hope..." Kero whimpered as he limped over to her side. The legacy was churning around them now with bubbling rage, but it held off for some reason as Sakura stared at the boy she loved.

"I love you, Syaoran.... please...." she choked back a sob as he remained asleep. Legacy was all around them now and Sakura could hear Madison cry out. The creature was looming all around them, ready to devour them with one great crashing impact. It started to plummet atop them.

"Hope." she whispered and with that word the angel's eyes shot open with a flash.

Legacy was all but engulfing them as a strange light exploded from within. The demon was thrown back in the form of splattering black flesh which rained to the earth and knitted itself together again.

Sakura and Kero had been knocked backwards and now stared at the fully awake Clow card. It's wings were held upright and its eyes were on Sakura. No trace of Syaoran shone in them.

"Hope card.... destroy legacy!" she commanded with a sad fierceness.

The spirit responded immediately as its chains snapped with ease and rained tiny metal links to the ground which vanished on impact. Hope shot upward into the night air and glowed with silver lightning and ethereally white plumes of light. Each flap of it's angelic wings sent swirling tides of shining magic out in swirling dervishes which vanished into glowing embers of light. 

Legacy was whole again, and now hissing with transformation as bladed protrusions randomly exploded and vanished. It shot upward to him like a demonic spire which hope was able to dodge by an inch. The black turret exploded into snapping jaws which came at him from a dozen angles. Sakura watched with awed horror as the ariel battle ensued, legacy chasing hope in a dozen forms from several directions. Hope was able to evade, but it was impossible to speculate for how long.

Sakura cried out as a sudden bony lance shot from legacy's mother mass and struck the angel's wing. He stumbled in his flight and was soon in a frantic struggle to not be impaled by the many bladed claws which were swiping at him. He could fly, but the momentary weakness had put him on the defensive and legacy all around him.

"Mori-tomoshibi!" she spoke and hurled a spear of silver fire at the demon. He was struck and lurched backwards as the hope card flew higher and glanced down at Sakura.

His eyes closed and he touched the glowing center of his bare chest. With a flash of light he had began pulling something from his heart. Sakura's eyes were wide with disbelief as the hilt, pommel, guard, and then blade of a massive sword was pulled from him. It seemed to materialize from his own body, though the sheer size of the weapon made that impossible anywhere save the realm of magic.

The silver sword was breathtaking as it burned with heavenly white plumes of flame. It shimmered with veins of radiant gold that flashed as runes over the entire blade. The chains which hung from hope's arm tethered themselves to the flaming blade as legacy shot up at him.

The sword was hellfire as it cut legacy's tendrils, rendering them ash on the wind. The demon recoiled for a moment as it too noticed this new weapon. The sword gleamed like an angelic scythe; ready to cut demons like stalks of wheat in a dark harvest.

Sakura knew that objects, no matter how insignificant, have an energy to them. this sword not only had an aura, but a blinding one. The weapon's spirit wrapped around Syaoran's just the chains bound them. the serpentine aura trailed his entire form, knitting into his body and spirit as if it were truly an extension of his own body. The aura was one of fire, swirling like a tempest of fire and lightning.

Legacy's dark presence was choking the world around them as it snapped and clawed like a hive of malefic vipers. The creature swirled with hateful forms as dark and light crackled against eachother in an almost biblical struggle. The earth trembled as legacy suddenly lashed out in a thousand mouths, each brimming with pure icy malice.

Sakura watched in pure terror as the angel and devil danced with such amazing motion and speed that it challenged her capacity to even understand it all. That which once was Syaoran pivoted and turned with such fantastic speed and incomprehensible grace that it all seemed like an extremely well choreographed scene which could only be real when generated by computer for a movie. Dark flames lapped at white flames as the two sides erupted in lightning like froth as the waves crash against the rocky shore.

Legacy bit and clawed while the angelic blade tore and burned. The sky was darkening, but it flashed with oranges and silvers as if it were the sky over a battlefield, ignited by the flashes of guns and bombs as they exploded and rained fire. 

"It's amazing...." Sakura gaped as Kero hung at her side.

"I've seen this a hundred times, but it's still so...." Kero trailed off, his eyes mirroring past battles that shone in the darkness of his elliptical pupils. His golden eyes shimmered in the light of the battle as flames of angelic fire washed over them. Sakura couldn't give the lion her full attention, she was still drawn to the fight, even though she could do nothing to help. Her magic could only prick the demon's flesh, much lest deal a true wound. She felt helpless as they fought, and even more so when legacy won.

Syaoran was blindsided by a massive set of teeth which bit down on him from behind. It was sheer luck that the sword was also snared in the bite, it's solidness prevented him being bitten through. The demon shook him and then threw him with such force that he rocketed through a building which crumbled to splinters of steel and a hail of concrete and mortar atop him. Legacy exploded into the sky with a snarl of triumph that rippled through his flesh like an explosion.

"NO!!" Sakura cried out as legacy suddenly careened forward and swirled in a maelstrom of blades which tore gashes in all directions, ripping the earth to splinters. Sakura suddenly caught its gaze as the demon's form fixed on a small group of people who were frantically trying to free a young boy who had been pinned by some of the debris. The dust had painted them grey, and now they looked like ghosts as they pulled at the screaming child.

legacy exploded forward more like a tsunami of black water then like flesh. He was faster then Sakura had seen, as if he were charged from his battle with Syaoran.

Not fully knowing what she was doing, Sakura dug her nails into her own arm until she felt blood trickling from the wounds. She fell to the ground and pressed her bloodied wrist to the asphalt. 

Legacy was atop them when the ground suddenly exploded upward in a column of earth and blood. Sakura was terrified by the magic she had suddenly used as it erupted upon legacy who was startled by the sudden assault and toppled backwards. Sakura's fear seemed to augment the terrible magic that was now flowing through her as if she had reached out and touched a high voltage wire, instantly making her a conduit to lethal energy.

The column of blood and earth crashed down on legacy and seemed to change as it made contact and smothered him bit by bit. It hardened over the squirming demon and then petrified like rapidly cooled lava, perfectly smooth and almost metalic. Legacy was tearing and clawing at this blanket of dense metalic earth. Sakura did not relent as her own lifeblood fueled this terrible magic. She felt herself growing dizzy, but also motivated by the need to bury this damn monster. Legacy's shape twisted beneath her, but she continued to pile more and more on.

"Sakura!! Stop! It's going to kill you!" Kero cried out as he slammed into his mistress using all his weight. Sakura was losing herself to the magic, that was the only possible explanation. She wasn't reciting any spells the boy had taught her, she wasn't wielding any talismans... the magic was flowing through her just as it would a wand. She was gasping as she rolled on her back, clutching her cut wrist. The blood had stopped, but shimmered on her alabaster flesh like lightning of red. 

"Syaoran.... he's.... I had to."

"Not like that! You can't fight it like that! Hope is the only weapon you have that can do permanent damage!" Kero was looking over at legacy as he yelled over the monster's wails. It was a lie... he had never seen magic like that before, and for all he knew it could kill legacy, but it would certainly kill Sakura too. 

She wasn't a girl anymore, she was infused to magic now. Maybe Syaoran had seen that in her, he had opened the door and let her awaken her true powers... had he recognized just how much magic was a part of her? Her blood, bone, spirit.... all of them were flowing with magics beyond understanding. She had dwarfed all other sorcerers and sorceresses in that solitary moment of such extreme duress... the desire to save those people had merged with her apprehension for the hope card and her sadness for Syaoran... they had unified into a force so prolific that even legacy was brought down by the sorceress's will. Kero looked over at the demon to find it clawing at its tomb of earth... it was more then just buried, it was fused to the earth and blood which shined in the light of the perpetual twilight.

There were stories of the ancient gods of magic. Hecate, Curnunos and a hundred others from various texts and depictions. Beings of pure magic. He had looked at Sakura when she was lashing out against the demon legacy, and was both filled with awe and terror to see Sakura had potential to go beyond sorceress, and descend into a state closer to godhood. 

The ages of magic were rapidly passing now. Kero had witnessed the ages where sorcerers were plentiful to ones where they were almost extinct. Now the gift of magic was being elevated to the point when child sorcerers could reach plateaus that transcended all that was known of magic, and potentially become one with the power that all the universe revolves upon.

Sakura's eyes had shined with a magic that hadn't been felt on earth since its beginning... that kind of magic, once embraced, could never be returned from. He had stopped her before, by a fluke, she would evolve into something Kero had no way to gauge. His thoughts were broken as she yelled to him over the legacy's cries.

"How can we stop it then!? The hope card is...."

"The hope card is a weapon!! It's like a sword! It's potential is dependent on what power is put into it. You haven't been using it so much as just letting it do whatever it wants. You've got to synchronize your power with it!"

"How do I do that!?" legacy's body was enveloping the earth which bound it bit by bit. The bonds were being broken...

"Think of Syaoran. Of his love for you, his strength. Think about your connection... how you see each other!" legacy tore free and spun to face the sorceress with a murderous snarl.

"Sakura! Think dammit!!! not about how much you miss him!" legacy begin running for them.

"Don't focus on the pain... don't even focus on the good memories! Think of your connection... Of what ties your sprits together!!" it was coming for them half running and half flying now.

Sakura's mind ached as she reached out for him. For what made them so precious to the other. what makes Syaoran so special to her?

She closed her eyes and dropped to her knees as legacy reached them.

  
  


'His strength'

'His gentleness'

'His wisdom'

'His love'

'His pride'

'His faith in me!'

Legacy leapt for her.

Time went slow as the demon's massive jaws gaped for her, then were split in half. Sakura cried out as the demon's body split down the middle and fell on either side of her and the stunned lion. In the distance they saw the hope card with his sword to the ground, he was panting softly as he studied his mistress and her guardian.

"He's ok!!" Madison cried out from the sidelines.

Legacy reformed itself behind Sakura, now oblivious to her in light of this new hurt. It was as evil as they come, but it's attention span seemed to be easily swayed. It was behaving on sheer rage.

Sakura was expecting it to charge again, but was surprised as its chest ripped open into a giant beam of burning energy which shrieked through the sky tword the angel. The hope card drew up his sword and blocked the beam, but as the energy washed over him it was apparent that this dark pulse of energy was incredible. He bore back against the beam, but found himself being pushed back, each foot digging a small trench in the upturned earth.

"Sakura! Focus!" Kero cried out as Sakura thought of the boy she loved. It wasn't working Sakura panicked. She was focusing on him as best she could, but it wasn't enough. She still saw him as Syaoran, not the hope card. It was too much like he was still human... She suddenly realized the only thing she could do.

Sakura willed as much of her aura to him as she was able to possibly do. It was like what she and Syaoran had done during some of their more intimate moments, but never this much... Sakura was syphoning all that she was to him. She blinked with dizziness as she fell forward onto the concrete. Her cheek was scraped badly, but she looked out blankly through her open eyes. She saw nothing, too much of her essence was interwoven with the hope card. Kero cried out her name, but she didn't hear it.

Hope suddenly snapped to life as he easily deflected the beam to his side. It split into seven other rays which carved great gashes in the landscape and cut buildings down the middle, or simply shaved parts of them off as though they were no more then butter under a flaming blade. The beams prismed off the sword and by the time it had terminated, the city was sliced into sections that glowed in the twilight like red hot metal. In the distance they could hear sirens. The cataclysmic power of legacy was apparent and anyone could easily see why Syaoran's clan could pass the devastation off as either war or ecological disaster.

Legacy hissed as hope drew up his sword.

  
  


*********************

"is she ok!?" Madison cried out as she and Yue reached Sakura. Madison grabbed her friend and turned her over, wincing at her scraped cheek. Kero hung at his mistress's side, nuzzling her jaw with worry.

"Almost all of her spirit is infused with the hope card. I've never knew such a thing was possible."

"It's been a day where a lot is possible" Kero whimpered from his mistress's side.

"Sakura.... what's wrong with you!? Wake up!! Please!" Madison cried out as she wept against her friend. They were suddenly thrown forward as the legacy and the hope made contact again, this time right next to them. 

  
  


*********************

  
  


the sky rippled with magic as legacy and hope lashed out at one another. Hope's power seemed monumental with Sakura joined to him. The monolithic demon was being torn apart with slash after burning slash. 

One such blow sent legacy plummeting backwards into the ground where it reformed a mere few feet from where the damned sorceress lay. Legacy's mind raced with flaming heat as it saw the sorceress laying in the arms of more of these humans. It recognized the two guardians immediately, it had seen them before many times.

With a sudden rage the demon spun around for them with one massive taloned claw. They didn't have time to evade, just gape at the impending death.

The angelic spirit of hope realized what the demon was looking to do just moments before it would have been too late. With a sudden gesture of his hand the ground exploded upward with thousands of burning chains. Legacy yelped as one of the fiery chains wrapped around his claw, diverting the blow off target and to empty earth. It tore back its claw, but found that the chains were soon replaced by dozens more.

It only realized the peril it was in as a hundred of the tiny burning bonds secured themselves around its throat. They were exploding from the ground faster then the creature could rip them away. Legacy leapt for the sky, seeking to go airborne, but was quickly brought down as more and more of the serpentine manacles yanked his wings back to the ground. Legacy roared with pain and rage as more and more of the burning coils slithered over it's body. Soon it was completely immobile, fastened to the ground and bristling with rage. It's body thrashed and raged against its prison of sizzling steel, but it could do little more then budge.

Its thrashing halted as its inky eyes fell on hope; which was hovering in the sky with a look of dark intent on its ethereal features. The burning sword seemed to glow brighter against the bloodied sky as the silver plumes of flame flared in livid motion, snapping and writhing against itself as if it were alive. Fireflies of silver lightning swirled around the angelic form, periodically bathing it in sapphire illumination which flickered for a moment and then retreated to darkness. The already massive sword now seemed to grow longer as it's flames grew more excited. Soon the metal of the great weapon was only a charred shadow amongst the swirling coils of fire and light which encircled the weapon from pommel to blade.

The red overcast sky began rippling with motion as the weapon was pointed to the heavens. It obscured its holder soon enough in the rippling tides of heat and fire. It's light dwarfed all things, including the burning scars which branded Tokyo in fire. The fire swirled now several times longer then the weapon itself in a great cyclone of pure angelic flame.

The angelic warrior slowly wielded the blade of divine fire in a rotation of three circles. After each rotation the open air that had touched the blade glowed with ancient markings in a long forgotten text. The symbols burned with the same fire as the blade, and by the third rotation had stretched out to fill the air surrounding the hope card. The markings were reminiscent to those of the seal of the clow, but these seemed far more complex. Kero stared up at them and noted a few recognizable symbols interwoven upon the tapestry of burning verses. Angelic script from some of the more archaic scripts the lion had read. Their meanings had been lost to time, but it was clear that their power was just like the beings that existed back before the age of man: beyond comprehension.

Legacy suddenly struggled with newfound urgency as it's snarls and cries rang out with incomprehensible rage, but also a shadow of fear. The chains that bound it were melting into it's flesh now, pooling like mercury in the form of similar insignias to those that burned in the sky around hope. It fell to it's knees with a roar of agony as it hissed with torment.

Madison watched with awe as the circular incantations begin revolving around the hope card which still held the fiery implement of such fierce magic. The symbols sped in their rotations and then broke off so that the two dimensional diagram became a massive sphere of gyroscopic incantations.

In the midst of legacies snarling no one heard Sakura faintly whispering words in a language she had never heard before.

Hope drew back and then, with a swiftness that was beyond compare, let the blade fly free. It exploded through the swirling charms like a bolt of flame and lightning. Legacy only had time to shriek and draw back before the weapon exploded into its chest. It lurched back, as in that instant every burning silver rune on it's black body exploded with light and flame. It was blinding as the red sky exploded with white fire. The blood hue was forced back as though it were the stratospheric equivalent of the red sea, and the hope Moses. Pillars of lightning bridged the narrow gap between heaven and earth and were soon joined by tornados of spinning fire of similar hue and radiance.

And then with one final flash of light the battle was won, and the sky was left a strange twilight grey as the faint blues and violets mingled with a strange ethereal glow. It was like looking upon a sunset of another world. Beautiful, but alien.

Legacy's black form dropped to the ground with a thud as it split the ground in dozens of fissures. It lay there, dead, looking out through eyes that shone with the same radiance as Sakura's now did. A smoky light.

  
  


*********************

  
  


Sakura watched as legacy fell in unnaturally slow motion. She was vaguely aware that this was another vision, the colors were off. All tonal value seemed shifted to blues and other somber hues that shined with a strange dark luster in the same motions as water rippling. Sakura was amazed by the strangeness of this world that mirrored her own, but was utterly spectral. Ghostly apparitions of Madison, Kero, and Yue stood like paintings around her, frozen in the moment. The world was still, as if it were decades derelict. The sky however was lividly churning with motion as time sped up the natural motion of clouds as they drift on the sky. The cloud cover now flowed across the stratosphere as though it were a quickly moving river, and the cumuli, no more then leaves swept away in its waters.

When legacy finally hit the ground Sakura felt the impact on a spiritual level, shockwaves of mystical force rippled through the inert panorama and even sent the sorceress's hair fluttering in the ghostly winds. But Sakura felt no pressure from the gusts just as she did not reel back in the slightest from the impact.

The city dissolved away like chalk on a rainswept sidewalk, leaving Sakura alone with the stricken demon who wheezed in shallow breaths. It's colossal head lay on the earth as it's eye fell on Sakura and looked to her beseechingly. The rage and hate had faded when it had been stricken down, but the need still was felt. It's black orb of an eye looked to her beseechingly as it's form began to change. From it's body figures were formed, the faces of women and a few children. The faces of the Clow. They were human at first, then rippled away to their new personas as Clow spirits. They each watched Sakura; with pleading expressions on their faces.

They were trying to tell her something.

She stepped forward to touch one, but the representation of the windy card recoiled from her hand and fell to the earth as a card. The others followed immediately, until all the cards were laying on the ground at her feet. Sakura watched as they almost instantly dissolved away into a black liquid that pooled around her feet. 

Sakura suddenly clutched her temples as the world pulsed forward. She stumbled backwards as it fluttered back and forth. Each surge that tore the fabrication sent white hot agony through her mind. The dimensions of the landscape began to twist and distort as she found the scenery she had been standing right next to getting farther and farther away from her; stretching away till it began vanishing with each searing pulse.

The vision was fading, but she was fighting to keep it. It was as though she stood on the threshold of revelation, yet was losing it with each pulse of her throbbing temples. She collapsed to her knees and reached out to where the cards had been pulled by the shifting dimensions, yet they grew no closer. She blinked and found the world losing its integrity. What once had looked ethereally real, now was fading to translucent smoke and pale shadows. 

With one final blink her eyes had dispelled the vision and began to see the real world. She saw Madison and Kero, both speaking in muted voices. The hope card was at her side also, knelt with his face to the ground.

"Where?" she shakily tried to speak.

"You've been having a vision, it's ok... legacy is dead." Kero replied.

"No.. The c..cards. They need me. For something." she tried to get up but was held down by her concerned and teary eyed friend who chided her gently not to move.

"Legacy... it's..." she shook her head to try and clear the haze. Her body and mind both mutually ached.

"It's ok Sakura. Li killed it." Madison offered, but was silenced as the sorceress shook her head.

"It's still here... and it's trying to tell me something. These visions... they aren't normal. Something is giving them to me, it has to be legacy. Kero.. Help me stand." the lion supported her weight with Madison's help as Sakura stood on her wobbly feet. 

She was suddenly pitched backwards by some invisible force. Yue caught her and looked at her. her eyes were flickering from smokey blue to their normal ethereal green.

"What's happening to her!?" Madison called out in horror.

"The visions... legacy is trying to make me see something." she blinked as the images of the dead women flashed in her eyes.

"How can we make it stop?" Madison asked Kero quickly.

"You can't! Don't try to stop them!"

"But Sakura!"

"No! I've got to know what it's trying to tell me!" another flash threw her back into Yue's arms. Her eyes flashed with twilight as she saw a glimpse of a woman who would later be known as the windy, being slashed with knives by a man with demonic eyes. Madison screamed as she pointed to Sakura's arms, which had suddenly began bleeding in phantom wounds.

"Sakura! Stop it!"

"Come on... show me..." she growled through gritted teeth. She nearly doubled over as though she had been struck in the stomach. She wheezed into her hand as more pain radiated through her. taking back her hand and looking up she saw her palm was red. She whipped it on her pants as she watched a shadowy figure holding a young naked girl in his arms, weeping.

Kero's eyes went skyward as he saw the remains of legacy deteriorating to black plumes of smoke that rose high into the sky. Time was running out.

Sakura cried out again as she saw more of the dead villagers, this time each holding a Clow card to their heart.

Legacy's form was nearly gone, and now the sky was darkening with an inky, pulsing shadow. The heavens began to rumble as heat lightning splashed the entity with silver. It looked much more terrible when illuminated.

The visions were terrible. The women were strung up by chains of fire with a car nailed to their chest. Sakura winced from both the image, and the stab of pain through her own chest. Madison screamed and Sakura didn't bother to look down. She had to keep fighting, she had to understand this.

The shadow in the heavens swirled like the eye of a hurricane as it's speed began generating gales of hot wind that stunk of blood and brimstone. The ethereal vortex stretched wider and wider as blood red lightning flared across the heavens, illuminating it's contours. It, like legacy's body, was in constant motion. The soul and spirit of legacy was terrible beyond the capacity of words. Bits of razor sharp claw swirled through the eddy of demonic wind as bits of leather wing and sinewy coils breached, and then submerged with a frenzied lust. Tendrils of malevolent energy were interwoven within the dervish of livid evil. it would take both a demon and a poet to do the tempest of legacy justice, it was terror made real as spectral claws swiped the air, hoping to snag a morsel. They began to feel it's pull.

Hope was staring up at the thing with unreadable expression on his face. Sakura cried out again as she cried red tears. Madison was clutching her as she cried out the sorceress's name in sobs. Sakura had stopped crying out.

The surrounding area began roaring as tornados touched down and began swaying in destructive dances around the core of the terrible power. Lightning flared like the forked tongues of demonic snakes. The scene could be described in a single word: Armageddon.

"Sakura, you have to send the hope card inside it! We don't have time anymore!" the ruined building soon was pulled skyward brick by brick , then swallowed away into the black core of the swirling claws and mouths.

With a flash both guardians, hope, and Madison were thrown in all directions as the roaring winds grew utterly silent. The world was completely without sound as they watched Sakura with wide eyes.

She was held upright with her arms out to her side, as though she were crucified to an invisible cross. She floated inches above the ground, her eyes completely without hue.

Kero yelped in shock as he saw a dead blond woman with a missing face hover in the distance with Sakura, she was soon joined by the others. The ghosts of the past held out their red hands to Sakura as if she were an angel of mercy, and they the damned. Phantasmic fire swirled around them all as they watched each of the spirits of the Clow fall to their knees before Sakura, arms up and beseeching. Their eyes were wet with tears that shimmered with a great need.

Sakura was covered in blood and sweat, but she looked utterly angelic as she floated with flowing auburn hair and skin that glowed with light. The ground around them glowed with the seal of the Clow and the heavens bore a different seal. The two magical insignias radiated a strange power that was neither good, nor evil.

"Sakura?" 

"We're seeing her vision.... we are actually seeing it." Yue gaped as he watched his mistress glide amidst tides of magic, as magic.

Sakura drifted downward to the first of the Clow cards, her twilight eyes focused on the ruined woman as she knelt down to her. the windy card stretched out its hands to her as if to embrace the sorceress. Sakura leaned down and kissed the woman's forehead.

With a sudden flash of gold the woman was hole again, she had two eyes, and her face was whole once more. She looked down at her perfect, bloodless hands and blinked with tears. She Disintegrated away into a thousand embers of shimmering gold light.

Madison watched as her eyes reflected the golds of the releasing of the women. It was so incredibly beautiful, and also she felt the magic that flowed through Sakura. It was amazing, and it assured her. she felt her friend's love, and the sorrow of each spirit melt away as Sakura kissed their forehead. Golden embers rained down over Madison and the guardians like a snowfall.

All their pain and sorrow was being washed away as the card mistress touched them, she was mercy made flesh. 

The golden light faded back to the dark reds and blacks as the vision faded away to reality. Sakura fell into the arms of the hope card and opened her eyes. Her emerald eyes shined with a light that pooled from the spring of her soul. She smiled at hope as he gently let her stand on her own feet. He was cutely baffled by all this, so perfectly innocent... she looked up at the sky.

"I know what it is."

"What?" Kero questioned.

"Legacy, I know what it is. I know what causes it." she spoke softly without looking away from the evil maelstrom.

"Legacy is the pain of the Clow cards."

"What?"

"When Clow sealed their spirits to the cards he trapped them. they couldn't move on, even though they feel they have to. The sorrow, the pain, the loneliness, the anger, the desperation... it all builds up over time. It creates legacy, a creature of pure hate and rage. The cards are what creates it." Kero's eyes widened.

"How do you know this Sakura?"

"I don't know... but it's true. The cards are victims, they are screaming to be saved, but they can't be heard. That's why they are trying so hard to reach me. I can hear them." she looked over to Kero.

"I know how to stop it. Now and forever."

"Mistress?" Yue questioned.

"I will free them... I will set them free so that they can do what they have needed to do for hundreds of years. Transcend."

"Sakura, you mean you're going to?" Madison blinked.

"Yes, I'm going to destroy the Clow." Kero and Yue stepped back in disbelief.

"It can't be done! The cards, they are indestructible."

"I will... I have to."

"Sakura... if you're wrong. They'll be gone forever. You won't be the card mistress anymore. You won't be our master anymore." Kero replied with a tremor in his great voice.

"I love you... but this has to be done. I won't let them suffer anymore, and I will make sure that the Syaoran is the last to ever be needed. I will stop the legacy of the card mistress, for good..."

Kero nodded and stepped beside her, soon followed by Yue and Madison. Sakura reached into her pouch and withdrew the cards. They glowed brightly in her hand as she gently took the first card. The windy card, her first Clow card, her most trusted ally as a captor, and, in a sense, her friend. She whispered a goodbye and ripped the card in half.

The card's two halves floated to the ground and began to glow brightly with golds. Kero and Yue watched in amazement as the cards were destroyed in Sakura's hands. She cried as she tore each and watched them vanish into gold embers and light. The radiance swirled through the air like plumes of gold before vanishing away. With each card that was destroyed, the legacy grew calmer. The vortex that potentially could swallow all life was closing.

Fly.

Jump.

Flower.

Sweet.

Create.

Change. 

Fiery.

Dash.

Mirror.

One by one they vanished into the cloud of golden radiance. Sakura mourned as each card faded from her, she could no longer feel them the second they were destroyed, but she still sensed that this is what they wanted, needed. Kero stared in awe as he watched their ethereal forms fade away into the place they had been seeking for hundreds and hundreds of years. Madison was crying happy tears and waving as they departed into the sky. Yue watched legacy grow more and more calm as it's rage was being extinguished one card at a time.

"Last one!" Sakura chimed out as she held the light card out for inspection. She smiled as she tore the last of the cards, and freed the last of their souls. It faded away into the heavens.

"There, it's done. It's over." she smiled.

"Why is legacy still here then?" Madison suddenly cried out as they all looked up to see a tiny dark orb which shimmered in the red heavens.

"No! It had to work!"

"Sakura..."

"This isn't right! I destroyed the cards!" Kero nuzzled her hand as he closed his eyes.

"No. You haven't. There is still one card left." Sakura looked puzzled for a moment before the truth hit her and her puzzlement turned into horror. Her eyes shot to the hope card which was looking at her with that sweet innocent face. She took a step back as her eyes began streaming with tears.

"No!! I won't do this again!! I can't! Please Kero, please no!" Hope cocked his head in confusion. Why was she looking at him like that? He hadn't done anything to displease his mistress, had he? Kero whimpered.

"Sakura, you mu..." she cut him off

"NO! I COMMAND YOU! I WILL NOT!" Kero winced at both her words and her tears. His own eyes shined with tears as he hung his head.

"You must Sakura. You must stop it, now and forever. You've got to." she was crying as she clutched the card tightly to her heart. She fell to her knees and wept.

"Please, I can't do this. I can't...."

"Syaoran believed in you Sakura. He trusted you with stopping legacy. You've got to set him free... avenge his family..."

"No..." she whimpered with a shaky voice.

"He's trapped Sakura. He's like the other cards. You can't keep him from moving on.... you could never hurt him like that." Yue spoke gently to her, the most gently he had ever spoken. She closed her eyes and took hold of the card. Her hands were trembling, but just when she was about to do it, she cried out and took her hand from it.

" I can't do it..." she blinked suddenly as another pair of hands took her own. she looked up and cried as Syaoran smiled at her gently. He was the hope, but he was looking at her the same way he had when he was alive. He was smiling at her with both pride and love in his eyes. He saw her as Syaoran had always seen Sakura, not as the hope.

"Syaoran?" she whimpered.

He smiled at her and gave a soft nod.

"How...?"

He shrugged and grinned, taking her hand and placing it back on the card, his own on top of hers.

"I can't loose you..."

"He tried to speak, but was frustrated by his lack of sound. He settled for shaking his head and touching his pendant at her neck.

"I love you, Syaoran."

He mouthed out "I love you", then together, they tore the hope card in half. Sakura closed her eyes as she did, and bit back a sob as his hand vanished from her own. Kero nuzzled her neck while Madison hugged her. even Yue embraced the girl as she opened her eyes.

Syaoran was gone.

  
  


*********************

  
  


The sun rose as it had so many times before, but somehow it was different. The world had not ended, it would survive until the next apocalypse, either of magic origins or of man's doing. Madison had called Sakura a hero after they had returned home. Sakura couldn't truly respond to that, she was neither hero nor villain, she was both.

When she sealed Syaoran, he was still with her, by her side as he had been in life... but now that was no more, he was truly gone, and she felt different for his absence. She had cried, and she had stopped, but she still felt his absence. She had lived apart from him so long, searching the auras from across the sea for a wisp of his. Now that he was gone she realized that she had always felt his. It was all around her, in the air and the sky, subtle, but everywhere. Now the world seemed less vibrant in all aspects. She had never appreciated him as much as she should have...

The sky was gold and endless, stretching out before her in all of heaven's majesty. Hero? There were real heros, but she was not one. Syaoran had given her this gift, the morning that never was meant to happen. Syaoran was a hero, she was the one still alive.

She waited in the terminal, near the window. She packed one suitcase, the rest to be sent to her later. She stood alone in the light of the rising sun, feeling it bath her skin in fiery light. She wore black: pants, shirt, and a long knit jacket that stretched to knee length. She attracted attention that she ignored. Passing travelers cast a longer glance her way as they proceeded into the day that Syaoran had given them. 

She saw a young child sitting on a seat several rows away from her, staring. The girl wore a pink dress and had tiny black clips in her hair. The girl's mother motioned to her to stop and asked why she was staring. The girl turned and said something about Sakura being such a beautiful woman, but looking so sad. They spoke quietly, but Sakura heard it all. Her arms were up against her chest she once again found her attention to the amber stratosphere.

They were all so small. Sakura felt that now, as though they were all no more then children. And in a wondrous way, they all were. The cards were destroyed and legacy gone forever. They would get to live on as children, free of magic for as long as the force that turns the world deemed it so. 

Her father had kissed her and told her that he loved her, her brother cried when she left. Sakura's last act as mistress of the Clow was to make Yue remain with her family. Kero would accompany her to the land of magics, where her true love had been born. They were no longer bound to her, but her guardians seemed content with remaining. Madison hugged her friend and promised that no matter what magic was used to make the people forget legacy and the cards, she would always know Sakura.

How one girl's life can change... not too long ago she had thought college would be the place where she would grow into the woman she was going to be for the rest of her life. But it seems that somewhere along the way that had already happened to Sakura Avalon. It took a deck of cards, a boy from china, and a demon to show Sakura her place in the world. And now she was there: standing in the sunlight on a day that never would have happened without her.

"We are now boarding flight one-seventy one, non stop to Hong Kong at gate 'A12.'" Sakura turned her attention to the loudspeaker, then turned for the gate. As she passed she turned to the young girl who said she looked so sad. The girl's eyes were still fixed on her as she stared at the child in passing. She smiled at Sakura, and then disappeared from Sakura's line of sight.

That girl would grow up now. She would grow into a woman and be loved by a man like Syaoran, though there was no other like Syaoran. This boy that was still a whisper from fate's lips would love her intensely, as Syaoran had Sakura. She would have what Sakura could not. That was Syaoran's gift, and Sakura's legacy.

  
  


Courage is not found in the heat of battle.

Courage is found the next day, facing the repercussions. 

Benevolence is not giving what you will not miss.

Benevolence is giving when the cost is dear to you.

Love is not without pain.

Love is pain's most excruciating incarnation.

Dying is not hard.

Living on is.

The legacy of a hero is not made on a foundation of invulnerability.

The true testament of a hero is born of tears and sadness.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Still not the End....


	5. Requiem of a Dream

Disclaimer: well it should be apparent that I don't own them. too bad. But if anyone's looking for a early birthday present.... CCS would be just fine. ^_^

whoa... whou'da thought that I would be done with this fic. It seems like such a short time ago I first got the idea for it. Well I hope you liked it ^_^ ok warnings for this chapter... it may seem a lil Disney, but I prefer a happy ending to an angst ending that will leave the readers in need of ice cream and raw cookie dough. (Comfort food ) also, while I am begging forgiveness for my literary failings... I go super detail oriented at one point in the fic. I know that bugs a lot of you, but it's part of my style, I am gradually toning it back to a more manageable amount, but it takes time to adapt a part of yourself. And as one final note of pleading for forgiveness: yes I know the lil ender poem is the epitome of terrible... it does take some inspiration to get halfway decent ones. ^_^'''

I'm not sure what I'm going to do next. I have a Jackie chan adventures, outlaw star, and a partial inuyasha fic laid out in my head. I also have been brainstorming some real ideas for a couple of books. Yeah I know... I'm nowhere near publishable. But you've got to start writing before you can start writing well. ^_^''''''''''''''' well that's a nice dream, but back to reality, I have a couple of ideas and need to decide which to do next. It'll probably be the outlaw star one... but who knows.

Well without further wait, the conclusion of Legacy.

Mail me at: "/cgi-bin/compose?mailto=1&msg=MSG1042305387.24&start=1520139&len=91938&src=&type=x&to=logan91235%40aol%2ecom&cc=&bcc=&subject=&body=&curmbox=F000000001&a=7f47a4b2a93d301b0aefd95abba06885"

  
  
  
  
  


Legacy

  


"Requiem of a Dream"

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


The air was cool and tasted of salt as waves of nightly water lapped at the shore of the silent island in the ancient rhythm which was both the pulse of the world and the ticking of an eternal clock.. The sun would soon rise, but even before the advance of the day, this place had a singular beauty that existed only here, and nowhere else. The sand was warm on the feet while the wind was cool on the skin, only here could that be possible.

Such variety exists in the world that it is impossible to find a true parallel any two places. Each dune of sand or grove of trees is unique only to itself, but somehow they do share a commonality in the heavens above. The sky shines down the same in Egypt as it does in japan, but here, it was not so. The difference was subtle, a slight wisp of violet that cast a subtle radiance over this one island alone. The same elusive quality of color and depth was found everywhere here. An intricate magical quality made every flower and stone glow with something that defied adequate explanation.

The stones of this ancient coastline glowed with a soft luminance in the declining moonlight. The glow was not eerie; not spun from a tale of vengeful ghosts or mournful wraiths, but a faint light that was not unlike fireflies in a field of still grass. There was magic here, and Sakura felt it all around her. the kind of magic that is beyond spells and scrolls, but in truth is far more emphatic. 

Sakura felt this land's power all around her as she stood on the shore, her feet bare and blanketed in the smooth sand and her hair caressed by the wind which stroked her with maternal tenderness. Syaoran had told her of this place, of these people. He had not exaggerated when he described their power and their splendor. He had promised that they would accept her here, and she felt it now as she was regarded by sage wizards and young apprentices with the same kindness as shared by a family.

She was not universally accepted of corse. The old ones who sat at the council's head were quick to argue the succession of matriarch. Sakura felt their eyes on her always, watching her for something that would tip the balance for her dismissal. It was no secret that Sakura was both an outsider and not tied by blood or marriage to the clan. She never argued their claims that she was undeserving, but oddly enough that only inspired more to argue for her.

  
  
  


*********************

  


"This girl is not one of us! She was raised mortal, she is not fit to be our leader! Lord Syaoran did not take this woman as his wife and thus she is nothing to us! She will bring misfortune on our heads!" his face was shrouded in velvet shadow, leaving only a beard of greyed whiskers and a pair of radiant eyes to be seen. He was dressed in robes of black cloth and leather straps. The leather was branded with burned incantations which made him appear to be an Egyptian pharaoh, bound in papyrus. 

Sakura's eyes remained on the stone underfoot, her form never flinched, despite the harsh tones being projected from the sorcerer and his companions of the council. She listened and felt their words hitting her flesh like a hail, but she could not speak. She was unsure of both protocol and what she could possibly say. Nothing they had said was a lie.

"See now! She will not speak in her own defense, she will not claim this for herself, why are we to hand it to her!" another sorcerer voiced. He would have said more, but was silenced as the clan's grand master of the dojos rose.

She had been master only a short time now, but already she was respected. Her long ebony hair pooled over her shoulders like the black luster of a raven's wing. Her eyes burned in black fire as she stepped forward and was recognized. She knelt at Sakura's side and laid a hand on the girl's shoulder. She was dressed in a blood red Gi with black trim that made her look older then she actually was. Meilin frowned.

"How dare you? This girl I would call my sister. This girl the matriarch of our clan calls daughter. This girl was chosen by lord Li Syaoran. You have no right to dare say she is unworthy! I advise you now to show her respect, old ones. She defeated the legacy and freed the Clow. I will not tolerate this tone! And neither will the dojo!" Sakura blinked in shock at Meilin's tone, it was as hard as steel and could cut as easily as any sword.

"You are new to your position girl! You have no magic either, so return to your place and do not mettle in affairs that do not concern you!"

"I stand with my sister, and with me I carry the weight of our clan's dojo." Meilin had been trained by the old master in the ways of the dojo. Though not necessarily as valued as the magic, the power she held as master of the dojo was notable. She had learned much from the old one, and now spoke with all the eloquence she could muster. Sakura was up against some powerful foes, she could use some powerful allies.

Meilin would have said more, but was hushed as the matriarch of the clan stood from her place at the head of the council. The old ones fell silent as the entire clan soon found their gaze on their matriarch. 

The woman glided more then she walked, her gown of silk and satin held no more wait then a fog on the ground, but never had a fog secured such attention. The woman paused in front of Sakura.

"A matriarch does not bow. Look up at them as they speak to you, Sakura." Sakura complied, her bangs falling around her eyes. She watched Syaoran's mother as she stepped on the opposite side of Meilin. With no more words she sat on the ground beside the girl. Sakura heard a hushed gasp ripple through the onlookers and onto the council. They looked at her as she stared back with a sharp expression. A moment more passed before others began joining Sakura.

The council was not going to have an easy time trying to get Sakura out of their ranks.

  
  
  
  
  


*********************

  


The arguments continued, and Sakura survived on the grace of her benefactors. The council was losing the fight the longer they fought it. It seemed that Sakura had a pull on people. That alluring quality united with Lerae's backing was more then enough to keep her in the fight, despite the arguments of the council who now fought for their place in the clan. If they were defeated now, it would be a short step for the abolition of their position altogether.

Their greatest weapon was a single truth that could not be argued even by Sakura's most devout supporters. Sakura had lost the ability to use magic.

Some things can be traced and comprehended by finding their origins. The parentage of a cold can be traced to where it was caught, and thus understood. But Sakura's loss of magic was not so easy, in fact it was more impossible. She had lost all power over magic the second she tore the hope card in half.

Upon arriving at the clan a year ago all kinds of efforts had been put underway to restore her magic, but none bore fruit. She had been made to meditate amidst swirling plumes of incense and be anointed with mystical concoctions that had odors ranging from blood to lavender. Yet nothing worked, and that hurt Sakura a little. Magic had always been a part of her, and now, to loose it. She felt as though she had lost a part of herself. A tie to Kero, the now-gone Clow cards, and Syaoran.

She wondered if this inability to use magic was an insult to him, her master. She loved Syaoran, and the idea of betraying him by failing as a sorceress ached in her breast alongside the throbbing sadness of having to live without him at all. She could be a normal girl if it meant having him, but now she was neither. And she felt like a sliver of who she was, being without both magic and a heart.

It was times like this that she felt his absence the most, the quiet moments when she was alone, and without distraction. She remembered his smile, and how she used to strive for catching a glimpse of the elusive thing. His hands, strong and callused, but gentle, with a tenderness that inspired only trust. His eyes, they were magical in themselves, piercing and clear. When he had looked at her, she knew that she was seen. She missed him so much that it was as if the only thing keeping her from collapsing into hysterics was the actual weight of her pain. The volcano couldn't erupt for the weight of the lava.

Her hair had grown to the point where she was debating investing in a comb, like the other women of the clan. She felt that since she would most likely be staying with them, she should allow herself to be absorbed into them. she would embrace their traditions and mannerisms. They were her family now. And she did love them.

Meilin called her sister while Syaoran's mother called her daughter. Though she still missed her father and brother, she had found a small measure of happiness knowing that she was seen as family to these people.

The wind picked up and pulled at the black silk which spread outward like the wings of shadowy angels. It flapped and whipped in the air as Sakura let her lids slip down over her emerald eyes. It was in moments like this that she was most content, and also most sorrowful. She listened to the sea and felt the wind. By now the blueish indigo had become magentas and violets, soon to be followed by golds. The day would begin soon, though she could almost hear the faint sounds of the clan's laborers preparing for the morning. Breakfast was underway and though not hungry, the faint smells that almost reached her would be enough to inspire a rumble in her empty stomach.

She could feel the magic of this place, but she could not feel it in herself. She was afraid that she had lost it. She was feeling things as a human, not as a sorceress. The wind and the sand, they were human perceptions, not a single wisp of aura struck her on this most hallow of shores.

Magic was the lifeblood of this place, she felt it and knew it. It was far larger an island then she had thought when she first came her years ago on vacation. The spells which hide the island under a web of illusion was still cast for her then. But now all such magic was shielded to her eyes. She saw this place for all it was, and marveled at it's splendor. She simply wished that she had magic to match it, and someone to share it with. 

She strolled down the beach, feeling the sand and the wind as a mortal girl, waiting for a sunrise.

  
  
  


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"Tell me, why can she not work magic? She does not lack it. I feel her aura swell with power the likes of which I have never known."

"I would say so, my lady. It is as though she carries with her the auras of two great sorcerers in one! But I could only presume why she cannot call on the magic." the older sorcerer was dressed in more modern garb: Dress pants, a while long sleeve shirt, a dark vest, and a pair of well shined shoes. His hair was neatly kept and pulled to the back. In a Celtic hair ornament.

"Presume then, Sakura was meant for this. I refuse to give up on her." Lerae replied.

"Well, I feel that it may be the young master's doing my lady."

"How so?"

"She was in love with him. My powers are nowhere near yours... but I feel the ache within her quite clearly. She mourns with such force that to look too deeply at her aura can be painful. Magic is concentration and emotion, I believe that she cannot call the magic because her grief smothers it. Her pain is so overpowering that no other feeling can be put forth without it mingling with the anguish, and thus being corrupted." Lerae nodded slowly. Walter was imported from England, and had proved a truly worthwhile teacher of the magics. He had once taught Syaoran, before the boy graduated beyond his ability and thus became self taught. Lerae knew that he would not offer this suggestion unless he had carefully thought about it.

"I don't see how it could be possible to cure her of this, my lady. And the council..."

"The council has grown weak, their minds as dull as their words. Sakura will be matriarch of this clan, magic or no... but I would prefer to restore her own natural ability... if for no other reason, then because it is what she was meant to have."

"It's funny, she has no magic to command, but the girl seems capable of commanding us all without trying."

"A heart so strong can do nothing but attract champions, Walter. Her nature is her greatest magic, and that cannot ever be drowned out."

  
  
  
  
  


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The sun had risen and found Sakura sitting on one of the ancient stones that was scarred with runes. Her form was slashed with shadow as the onset of the sky's light tinted her flesh gold. The ocean rose and fell as waves rolled down upon the shore in frothy blasts which rained brackish mist into the tropic air, and flavored the breeze with a cleanness that seemed to expunge all the spiritual residue of a night of nightmares and tears.

Sakura had found herself in the habit of waking early. Her dreams were filled with memories that troubled her, and thus she found herself sleeping less and less. While the clan was abustle during the day, she was able to find solitude late at night. She spent her nights reading, taking long walks, watching the stars and the sunrise, and also, remembering.

The night had ended with the same grace it had began, gently slipping away into the blues of the morning. And as the last traces of the night vanished, she rose from the ancient boulder where she had watched the sunrise from, she made her way back to the clan.

By the time she had progressed beyond the steps, the clan was already churning with life. A young sorcerer was walking with a little girl of no older then eight. She was a sweet girl and had an adorable expression as she listened to the older sorcerer, who was her brother. As they passed Sakura on their way to the beach, both bowed respectfully.

The younger generation of the clan seemed far more ready to accept her then the older ones. Sakura smiled to them and offered a kind good morning, then passed.

She paused as she watched the people work, they were so self reliant here, each doing their own job without having to be asked or instructed. She watched a man dressed in the robes of a teacher giving a lesson on magics of nature. Sakura stepped closer just in time to hear the end of the morning lesson, which would be resumed after breakfast.

As the students dispersed Sakura found herself confronted by an excited little blond child who spoke with an American accent. She knelt down to better face the excited little girl who was grinning at her. Sakura recognized the girl as the child of one of Syaoran's sisters.

"Hello Sakura! Err... lady Sakura." she blushed.

"It's alright, Sakura is fine with me." the girl grinned, feeling special that she had permission to address the future matriarch so informally.

"Look what I can do!" she spun around and put her hand on a patch of ground. Sakura watched as the girl stuck her tongue out in concentration. She was muttering meek incantations that soon took effect. From the crevice between the cobblestones a tiny green stalk snaked upward, gently branching out in tiny little limbs which burst into tiny white flowers. She blinked and reached down, picked the flower, then offered it to Sakura.

"That was great!" Sakura exclaimed as she took the tiny sprig of baby's breath and tucked it behind her ear. She smiled as the girl beamed and hugged her suddenly. Sakura grinned into the child's hair and lifted her onto her hip.

"That was very cool." Sakura reiterated as the girl blushed.

"You like it?"

"Of corse, I'm wearing it, aren't I?"

"You look really pretty Sakura..." she blushed as she reached out and touched Sakura's cheek. Sakura reached over and touched the child's cheek.

"But not as pretty as you. So do you have a boyfriend?" Sakura smirked as the girl giggled as thought the idea were hilarious in itself.

"Nooo...." she said shyly.

"Are you suuuuuurrrreeeee?"

"Well... I think lord Syaoran was cute." she admitted hesitantly. Sakura was quiet.

"It's sad that he was called." she continued. Sakura had to remind herself that the people of this clan saw the sacrifices against legacy differently. She was also too young to fully grasp the situation. It was as though he had merely gone on a long trip, not died.

"I always thought so too." the girl smiled at the affirmation.

"You would have married him?"

"Yes, I would have."

"Sakura....I'm glad you're here. You'll be a really good matriarch." Sakura kissed the girl's forehead.

"Thank you little angel."

"Monopolizing the time of our future matriarch?" an unfamiliar male voice piped in. Sakura turned and found herself staring at a young man dressed in the uniform of a martial artist. He was handsome, and well defined with muscle. Sakura smiled and put the girl down who greeted the young man, calling him Jin. Sakura accepted his offered hand and greeted him. the youth looked at her, piercing her with the clarity of his gaze. She could tell he had magic, and that he was using it.

"Why don't you go get breakfast little one, I'll see you later." Sakura spoke to the young girl who complied and left.

"So, you are the one, eh?"

"Excuse me?"

"I heard that Li Syaoran had a girl in japan. I never thought it was possible for that guy to have anyone he cared for like that. But, here you are." Sakura stepped back in unsurity. This Jin, was half Asian, but had a notably American quality. He spoke to Sakura like he knew her.

"I don't mean to make you uncomfortable, forgive me. My name is Jin. I am Meilin's fiancé. I just got back from America, sorry I missed you before now." Sakura blinked and then smiled broadly.

"I was wondering when I'd meet you! Meilin talks about you a lot."

"Hopefully all good."

"Nothing too terrible." he laughed and blushed a little.

"She's one to talk. More then seventy-five percent of the trouble I have ever gotten into is her doing."

"It's good to know she found a partner in crime." Sakura smiled. She liked him a lot more knowing he wasn't hitting on her.

"You'll have to forgive me for earlier. I had heard about you for so long, and I felt like I knew you already."

"It's alright. One question though... a moment ago you were doing magic weren't you?"

"I'm empathic, it's not mind reading, so don't worry. I just naturally get impressions about people, and I was a little curious about the type of girl who could get Li to warm up."

"No easy task, but he was really gentle deep down."

"Very deep down.

"Extremely deep down." she smiled, even though it hurt a little. His gaze softened as he felt the pang of pain run through her. Sakura would have to get used to this boy's abilities since it was going to be very hard keeping him from knowing what was going on inside her heart.

"I'm sorry. It's hard, I know. I liked him, and it's weird hearing how they talk about him now. It's like he isn't gone to them, more like he ascended into sainthood."

"I feel that way, but it's the clan's way I guess." she looked at him quizzically.

"I wasn't raised here, I was imported a few years back." she smiled sheepishly as he once again read her.

"I understand a lot about them, but there is so much that I don't even come close to. I guess it's only for those with the super powerful magic. The oracles for instance, they are constantly tuned into the future. But how do they function like that? Only able to see in one direction, not able to be a part of the present." he laughed nervously as he scratched the back of his head, feeling stupid for asking something that was probably common knowledge to everyone with real magic.

"It's strange here, but good." she replied softly. he looked at her, seeing a shadow of Syaoran in her.

"I can't do magic anymore, but I was touched by it. I could never have anything else now... having felt that kind of mystic power, touching it.. Then having to let it go. I can't feel the auras anymore, or see into the spirit world.... but being close to it makes me feel good, right almost. It's strange and hard to understand, but it's amazing too."

"It's nice being empathic. When you talk about magic... I feel what you feel to a degree. Feeling it like you, it's different from anything I have ever felt." his tone was soft as he looked at her.

"What do I make it feel like?" she smiled.

"Somewhere in between really good poetry and being kissed for the first time." he laughed.

"Sakura, I don't have much in the way of influence here, but when the time comes, if the elders don't back down... I'll stand with you" his tone was gentle, but strong. This boy was like Syaoran in some ways, he was strong, but also kind. Innocent in a way. Madison was lucky, she had found someone truly special.

Her gaze shifted to the distance as she turned and looked, catching something out of the corner of her mind's eye. It was there for only half a heartbeat, but for that moment she could feel discern something. A faint image that vanished before recognized, and a hymn in ancient tongue that only resounded within her ear for a moment's time. 

Jin turned and looked in the direction, seeing exactly what Sakura now saw and heard: nothing.

"Sakura, are you alright?"

"Umm... yeah. Just thought I saw something." the hymn whispered in her soul in that same, beautiful, but indiscernible voice that she knew, and yet could not recall. The trees in the distance swayed in gentle winds as the newly risen sun glowed in the sky. She continued talking with Jin, trying to put it from her mind, but still the hymn sang on.

  
  
  
  
  


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"Lerae... the girl is not one of us. She has no magic of her own. she is not married into our clan. We can not permit this girl to be named matriarch, it would be an insult to our clan's line." the elderly sorcerer spoke, his ancient features looking to be carved from sandstone. He was the acting head of the council, and one of Sakura's most fearsome antagonist. Where as many of the council were in a constant yelling match, he was not. His voice was quiet and his composure solid. He was dangerous to Sakura on the grounds that his weapons were logic and reason.

"The council has forgotten their place. I am the one who will name my successor, and I choose the girl my son deemed worthy. Sense her aura to deem her qualified, if you must. It is like the moon blocking out the sun. the sheer intensity of her power is enough to deem her deserving. And more importantly, the greatness of her character will ensure that she is a fair and kind leader. This clan will thrive under her administration."

"She has greatness, I can not, and will not, dispute that. But aura or none, she cannot call the magics to her. This is a new problem, one we have never encountered quite like this. What if that." He paused for the words. "'Disease' is communicable to the future generations? She will destroy the line and cripple our clan. What will we do when she refuses to have an heir? Lerae, I do not profane that she is not of the right caliber to be our matriarch. But there are too many factors to make her unsuitable. By forcing this, you may very well destroy our clan."

"You are wise, of all the council, you are the only one to make a compelling argument against her. The others seem all too preoccupied with their own power, and not the future of our people. I have seen Sakura's fate, she was a child then, but I saw enough to recognize a potential in her. You were watching the battle with the legacy, am I right?" the old one stroked his beard and looked down, shadows advancing upon each wrinkle, making them look like crags in a rockface.

"I was monitoring it with a seeing crystal, yes."

"Then you saw what she did to fight the demon on her own."

"Yes... that spell she created. It was ancient magic... the kind that has been lost to men since the beginning. Sakura used magic that changed reality itself... she channeled the powers of a god."

"The girl bares the same potential that Syaoran did. Their power grows with time, and has no end in sight. Sakura used magic that is beyond our understanding, she has the potential to become the sorceress that will cease to use magic, but be a part of it. Our ambitions made real, to no longer tap into it, but be one with it."

"You speak of legend, matriarch. The children grow more powerful each generation it seems, but I am skeptical that it will be within our lifetimes. The coming of a sorcerer or sorceress who is actually a part of the magic would undoubtedly herald the return of magic to the human world. You've seen how they act, how they use their power.... do you think that they are ready?"

"As they are now? No. but I think that if there is one of us who can potentially make them ready, it would be this girl."

"You have been trying to help her regain her powers?"

"Yes."

"Why? As it stands you will most likely win. The great council has set itself up for destruction. We were unable to stop her favor in the clan, and when she is made matriarch, we will be disbanded. The council is dead, and though we still fight, we know we are dead.

The girl does not need magic to be named matriarch now, she has won that on her own graces, and your support of her." Lerae smiled at the man, of all the council, he was the only one she respected.

"She was born with magic, the powers of a seer, but without the drawbacks of such magic. She didn't even know it was magic until Cerberus, the beast of the golden eyes, became her guardian and told her so. She merely thought the visions dreams. She used this power without the incredible mental strain most seers suffer. 

She was meant for magic, and I do this for her now, not because it will make her a better matriarch, but because it is a part of her, and she will ache for it for her whole life until it is restored. I do this out of love, not obligation." Lerae smiled softly. Syaoran would have wanted this.

"I oppose the girl because I think she may damage our clan, may even destroy it. You are not the only one who can see shadows of destiny. Sakura Avalon is the zenith of a very complex knot of key-lines. Destinies are tied to her in so many ways... mine, yours, Meilin's and Syaoran's just to name a few. 

I see the shadow of her benevolent legacy... a girl who can heal our clan and potentially our world. But also... I see a shadow of destruction. Of great evil. 

Greatness draws adversity

This game we play as the proprietors of magic is a game of great consequence. For as much as we see into the potential future, there is so much we do not. 

Sakura is destined for greatness, I sense that. But that greatness may very well be the force that destroys us all. That makes the stakes high. This decision is a flip of a coin to us: on one side, our greatest ambitions. On the other, the annihilation of all we have strived to protect and preserve.

Lerae, I think you play too much on chance. You have grown into a fine matriarch from when I first met you as a child, but though you now have wisdom and composure, you still have a fierceness from youth. You and your husband, and even the young lord, Syaoran. You all had courage to face fate and gamble with it. 

And now you gamble with this also... I taught you many things, but failed when teaching prudence." the old sorcerer smiled sadly at his former pupil with both pride and regret.

"Master, you were a great teacher... but we see differently. The leader of our clan must not be afraid to assert themselves. It takes courage to lead our people, and while I may be called reckless in my shaping of fate... I am not afraid to strive for greatness. Sakura will be matriarch, and she will be great. My son saw it in her, and I see it too." she reached out and touched the man's hand.

"I do not like doing battle with you, child. You were my best pupil... you know our clan and you fight well. No other would be able to accomplish what you have. You have defeated our council, remade our way of life. I am proud that I helped make such a strong woman from such a gentle girl."

"You made me strong... without you I would never have been able to fight the legacy and survive losing my husband to it. Though the council will soon be gone, I am comforted that I will always have your guidance." she bowed to the aged sorcerer who loved her as any grandfather would love their granddaughter. He opposed Sakura's place as matriarch, but he did so for the benefit of their people, not his own power. Perhaps if there had been more like him in the council, they would have won.

She set off in search of Sakura.

  
  
  
  
  


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Sakura sat and watched her legs dangle from the tiny stone bridge which crossed a clear stream which was fed from the falls, deeper in the jungle. The bridge was beautifully crafted, with coral hued woodwork and a smooth stone path. It looked ancient to her, as though it were a mirror of what was during the Japanese feudal era. It was like that here, every turn offered the potential to come across a woman in garb worthy of an empress, or a young man who could be a wandering samurai. It was a place several times removed from the current era.

Tiny lilies floated on the slowly traveling water. They were in bloom with beautiful white flowers that glowed far brighter then snow she had loved in Japan. She watched as tiny dragonflies skitted across the glassy water. It was pristine and quiet here, she felt warm and at peace here. Though such moments she was aware that she wished Syaoran were here to share them with. But for the moment she was not hurting too badly there. 

She wasn't surprised to see Syaoran's mother standing at the edge of the bridge watching her. The woman was uncannily quiet and yet she never alarmed Sakura when she appeared. Why this is, Sakura had no idea. 

"Hello... Lerae" she wasn't comfortable calling the elegant sorceress in such an informal matter. But was told that they she would be hurt if Sakura did otherwise.

"Hello child, it's always easy to find you. I just look in a place where there would be no one else. Tell me, are you uncomfortable with our people?"

"oh no, of course not! I just... like being by myself. I guess I'm a little intimidated by large groups of people, they all look at me as if they are searching for something." she blushed.

"Maybe they are..." The woman smirked as Sakura looked up to her sheepishly before rising to her feet.

"I talked to your instructors."

"Oh? Am I grounded?" the young girl joked as the matriarch smiled softly. Sakura was used to such responses from dealing with Syaoran. Coaxing laughter took months, so a small smile was sufficient.

"He is very impressed with you. You know incantations very well, your grasp on comprehension of spells is very admirable, and you strike him as a very clever girl. All the makings of a great sorceress. He is especially enthralled with your aura... never has anyone seen one quite like yours. It's not just massive, but as though it were actually two fused as on. Quite curious... we enjoy curious things here." she motioned for Sakura to walk with her. The young sorceress complied.

"Does he know why I can't do magic?"

"He has an idea..." Sakura waited, but found that she was not giving out anything without prodding.

"Which is?"

"Tell me Sakura... what is your impression of our people here? Are you happy?" she changed the subject and Sakura allowed it begrudgingly, she was matriarch after all.

"Yes. I feel at home here. Syaoran said I would be accepted here, and I feel I am."

"But you're not. The council...." she lead off.

"They are entitled to say what they feel is right. I don't have magic, and I'm not married into the clan. Not that I would ever...." Lerae ignored that last part for the time being.

"Do you hate them? They make things hard for you, they rally against you. Why do you never speak against them?"

"I don't hate them. They love this clan, so they are just trying to do what they think is best for it. I can't blame them if they think I'm not the best for the job." Lerae paused.

"Do you want to be matriarch Sakura?" Sakura thought over the answer for a time. Oddly enough, she hadn't thought about it too heavily.

"I don't know. I like it here, but I don't know if I want it or not. I don't really take any pleasure from being bowed to and having power over people. The only thing that makes me think I do is that Syaoran always said I would make a great matriarch. It was probably just lip-service, but I would like to make him proud of me. And he always loved this clan so much..." Lerae was quiet as they walked.

"I was married into the position. My husband was the one born to lead, and I was the card mistress. I had a great deal of mystical potential as a child, and so our marriage was arranged. I didn't mind that like Syaoran did... I loved him without being obligated into it. I had no desire to be matriarch, just to be his."

"Was he like Syaoran?" Sakura asked softly.

"Oh yes. They both were strong willed, but very good at heart. He was a very passionate man, everything he did, he did one hundred percent. His magic, his leadership of our clan, his devotion as a husband and father, and his dedication to being my hope when legacy came." she got quiet then and Sakura understood why.

"And Syaoran? You loved him?"

"I loved him more then anything I had ever known. I know it's a duty for the matriarch to have children...heirs... but I can't. I could never take another man. Could never love another."

"Fate was cruel when you were made mistress so young. I don't fully understand how you are able to function as well as you do when you are alone so much. The only thing that saved me was the fact that my love had left me a child before he was called. If Syaoran had not been born when he was, I would have been lost." she turned to stare at the young girl, her eyes ethereal and piercing.

"You don't let anything go... you cling to him so tightly. All the pain of losing him, all the feelings that you failed him by not understanding the visions sooner... you hold tightly to it all. It mystifies me. Why do you not let go of the slightest measure of pain?"

"I knew you could see into me... but I am surprised that you can see so clearly."

"The more intense and focused your feelings, the more clear it is." Sakura closed her eyes and waited for the woman to force her. She did.

"Well? Why do you not let anything go?"

"I can't.... he was the only one who ever believed in me like that. He was the only one who didn't go easy on me! I just can't! " Sakura felt her eyes sting with tears. The woman stepped forward and took her chin in her hand roughly. 

"You are not an ordinary child Sakura... you must be strong. Tears are not trivial things for a matriarch. I have cried twice in all the years I have been matriarch."

"Lerae..."

"do not disgrace him by turning his name into a sob of defeat. Sakura, you must be strong for no other reason then to bring honor to him. he had no sons, thus, you are his legacy to us. I morn him every day, but I cannot allow myself, or you to be swallowed by grief." she paused in deliberation, then turned and began walking in a new direction.

"Come with me Sakura, it is time you see something." Sakura nodded mutely as she forced the tears from her vision.

  
  
  


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The dense jungle grew closer to the path's sides until it had formed a tunnel of twisted ancient trees. The boughs were smooth and seemed unnaturally white, as if glowing in a softer tone then the eye could easily place. The sun was blocked out almost completely, declared only by sharp beams of light that poured down from tiny rifts in the limbs and leaves of the verdant canopy.

As Sakura walked in Lerae's shadow she was vaguely aware of a whispering that sang the same antiquated chant that almost sounded Gregorian in origin. It was lovely, but sad. Sakura felt it coming from her just as much as it was the trees, it whispered and reverberated from all life around it. She followed in silence as she listened to the ancient melody, that called to her.

They came to a rockface that stretched far beyond Sakura could see through the dense canopy. The stone was smoothed with age. Each downward sloping step perfectly formed, though radiant with a projection of age. Sakura couldn't presume to fix a date on it, it looked older then time itself. Lerae paused at the threshold and looked at Sakura, gauging her reaction. The stone was draped in green vines, it had a stillness that it broadcasted in some strange capacity.

The steps faded away into the haze of distance as Sakura caught Lerae's gaze.

"What is this place?"

"The core of our world, Sakura." they descended the steps into what would normally be darkness, but instead was the antithesis to the dark. Each stone glowed a faint jade radiance which was lighter then the verdant greens of grass, but softer then the radiant lime glimmer of a firefly in the summer night. The opaque green glow radiated from the entire cavern, lightening at their passage from the light of day, to the mystical brilliance of this breathtaking place.

"None of us know why this place is. It was discovered long ago, before our clan settled here. In fact, it was the reason we settled here. This place is our treasure you see."

Their footfalls echoed gently into the distance that was both dark and light. The glow grew brighter in their presence, as if the passage itself was lighting for them, bidding them go deeper.

"When a sorcerer dies, their body returns to the earth, their soul to the heavens, and their magic to this place. It has no name to us, for a name assigns limits to something. We don't know if this place has limits. We have never been able to comprehend it, it's a magic beyond all magic.. For as long as our clan has been on this island we have tried to divine its mystery; To no avail."

"I'm confused." Sakura confessed hesitantly as she followed, looking at the beauty that seemed to radiate from this place, but understanding nothing of it, or the story Lerae was telling.

"This place is holy to us. Whenever one of us dies, our magic returns to this place, and mingles with the magics of other lost sorcerers. We can't unravel its mystery, but that makes it all the more sacred to us... having something that keeps us humble."

"I'm afraid I still don't quite understand all that you're saying. Why didn't Syaoran ever tell me about this place?"

"It must be seen. You cannot paint this panorama with words, they make no sense to you now just as they would if Syaoran had tried to explain. But I know he longed to take you here... my son loved you ever since he returned from Japan all those years ago. He wanted to share this clan with you, and all the beauty it possessed.

This place is our greatest treasure, and our most defended secret. The fact that you now are admitted here is proof that you have won. You are one of us. Share this treasure with us Sakura. It is your birthright as one of our clan now." as she finished the steps finally ended. Sakura and Lerae stood atop a stone dock that glowed with a mystical luminance. The stones were carved of alabaster and silver which mingled in such ornateness that it seemed to beautiful to be of this earth. The stone shined like ivory and the silver like liquid moonlight. There were markings of topaz in ancient hieroglyphs of a long lost language that stretched down from the platform to the steps leading down into the water. 

Sakura saw none of this, her eyes were wide and unblinking as she stared across the terrain of heaven. The ancient stone met would be called water, but was so much more then water. The sea was still and tranquil, but constantly abloom with colors that defied the word beauty just as this place defied the word earthly. A thousand hues mingled and rippled within the water. Some were golds like the sun, while others were flushed with crimson to shame the most breathtaking rose. A thousand shades of lavender and pink gently caressed in this ocean of magic that stretched out before Sakura and off to a horizon she had never seen. It was surreal, for this was not possibly genuine. While this horizon stretched out like the true ocean, this place was no bigger then a fraction of the island. It was impossible, but undeniable. 

They were underground, but there was a sky. A perpetual sunset of pinks and violets painted the sky here as gentle winds cast actual rosy tinted clouds across the landscape. She felt as though she were on the face of another world, a better world. A paradise worthy of the name Eden.

The soft hymn echoed from the distance, more clear and beautiful now then Sakura had ever heard it. The words were far to ancient to be understood, but their power left a trembling in the heart and a pressure in the soul.

Sakura watched as the ethereal sorceress descended the tiny steps and stepped off into the sea of swirling magics. Sakura blinked in awe as she saw the great woman standing atop the water. She had removed her shoes at some point when Sakura was still utterly lost in the majesty of the place. Her tiny feet walked across the still water as if she were lighter then air. 

Her skin glowed of ivory in contrast to both the radiant water and the strikingly dark silk of her attire. She wore a kimono of exquisite beauty, it was by far the most humble thing she wore, but on her... it looked as regal as spun silver. The place itself seemed to make her brighter, her skin, hair, the rosy sash she wore against the velvety black kimono. All seemed to glow as she stood there, on top of the shallow water.

"Those with magic don't get wet here. It's as solid as ground." Sakura nodded and stepped down to the water. With a yelp of surprise, she fell in. The water only reached her calves, but it was shocking. She looked down with a measure of disappointment.

"Do not be concerned child, when you return to magic, you will stand as my equal." she looked amused at Sakura's white dress which now clung to her legs. Sakura noted that her flowing sash and outer robe glided atop the water just as she did.

"All the magic of the sorcerers of the past are here, Sakura. When you regain your power you will be able to feel their auras here. I feel my husband's.... that's why I come here so often, I believe. To be near him, to feel his power and be assured by it. This place is sacred for so many reasons, but when I am here, I am with him once more." she had a gentle smile on her rose lips.

"Can you feel Syaoran here?"

"No. But there are countless auras to sort through. It will take time to recognize his I think. For the time being, I must resort to feeling him in you. Your two spirits are mates, and thus I feel his when I touch yours."

"I wish I could feel him still... I miss his aura... its warmth." they walked deeper in, Sakura through the water, Lerae on top of its surface. It seemed to be midday, sunrise, and sunset all at once. Sakura reached down and dipped her fingers in the water reveling in the touching of pure magic. As she knelt, Lerae caught a glimpse of Syaoran's pendant, which she still wore.

"My son's sword still hangs at your neck... you do not look like a warrior to me, but it suits you." Sakura blushed a little and touched it.

"That blade would not be so docile in the hands of a weak person. It is the ancestral sword of our people. It would not tolerate being in the care of many. Such a shame it is lost to us."

"What?"

"The sword will only release in the hands of the true lord of our clan. It did for Syaoran's father, him, and it would for his son. With the male line cut, it is no more then a relic to us now. No magic can force it open... just the hand of our leader."

"Syaoran never told me that..." 

"I suspect he was waiting to tell you many things... but there is an order of things. just as I could not show you this place before today, he could not tell you of your shared trial before it was time."

"You keep so many secrets."

"Think of them as surprises"

"How many are left?"

"A few, but I suspect that some of the surprises in our future will be of your doing, little cherry blossom."

"I never knew there was so much beauty in this world." she commented as she looked out over the splendor of the horizon.

"Beauty is in the eye that sees it, child. Much like greatness..." she knelt beside Sakura as the young sorceress slowly fell to her knees. The hymn sang on as they shared a silent communion with the sea and the sky.

"You are strong Sakura. My son loved you, and now I love you as well. I feel your pain as my own, for it is my own also. I give you leave to grieve for my son as long as you like. But I beg you not to be destroyed by the loss. You can harbor an emptiness for a time, but soon it will spread. I do not want to see you lost in this grief, my daughter.

I've lost so much... my husband and my son. I fear that you may soon be lost to me. Do not cease loving him, but don't let that love turn to sorrow. You degrade the bond you share with such agony... and you will 

ultimately wash away all the goodness and love you hold for him. if you don't let go, the pain will obscure his memory.

You were made my daughter the moment my son pledged his heart to you. I don't want to lose another child."

"I don't know if I can..."

"Do you know why we do not grieve for our lost loved ones as the outside world does?" Sakura looked up and met her ebony eyes. They shined as Sakura's twin emeralds reflected their velvety shadows. Sakura shook her head.

"You have seen auras... you know that when two spirits touch, they leave a piece behind. We each share a piece of those who have left us, a tiny sliver of their love lives on in us. Their fires never truly burn out for they exist in the hearts of those still here. To see my son, I look at you. In the shadow of your spirit I feel him, I see him in you Sakura.

We miss them, but all we must do to see them is look. I think that may be the most important reason to return magic to the world. With magic a certain sense of understanding is given. An understanding that you are never truly alone, and that those you love will be with you always.

My son is dead... I know no magics that could ever change that. But I see him in you Sakura. I hope you can understand that he is still with you, even if you can't see him." she bowed and departed, gliding across the still water like a phantom of mist. Sakura watched as she slowly made her way back tword the point of entry. She took her time, savoring the majesty of this place.

"Hi, Sakura" she turned and saw Madison standing before her. she rose with a smile to look at the girl. Her pants were pushed up to her knees as she strolled over, through the water instead of on top of it. Her feet were bare and somewhat less dainty then Lerae's. Her ankles were unnaturally shaped; over the years breaks and fractures had mended while bone thickened to compensate for the strenues of her profession. They were not without their subtle attractiveness, it was more a charm. A defining characteristic of the girl who's beauty took root in her spirit instead of her skin. She wore a grey Gi with black embroidering in the shape of a windswept banzai existing in a harmonious embrace with a five clawed serpentine dragon. 

She smiled at Sakura, her colors exaggerated by the strange ambiance of this place. Her teeth seemed unnaturally white, but her smile was none the less friendly. Oddly enough, her scars seemed to grow more luminous here, Sakura had never noticed them so completely before. Her exposed calves were striped with pale marks that looked vaguely decorative on her bronze flesh.

Her legs bore the majority of the fading wounds since they were more often in play then her face or throat, but still there was the odd scar here and there on her throat and one tiny one that rose vertically from chin to cheek. While some women would hide such blemishes, Meilin displayed then with what would seem to be pride. It was this lack of insecurity that made the markings lose all negative effect over her loveliness.

"It's nice not being the only one who gets their feet wet here." she smirked as she motioned to Sakura's current position in relation to the water. Sakura smiled sheepishly as Meilin gave her a quick, sisterly, hug. Sakura smiled as she brushed her hair back from her eyes.

"At least the water is warm." she laughed.

"I'm glad they finally decided to bring you here. Even for those of us without magic, it's a beautiful place. I thought you would like it." she turned to look at a phantom of tiny rippling air which bubbled with rainbow pigments for no more then a moment before slipping away back into invisibility.

"I met Jin. He seems nice." Meilin grinned.

"He's ok I guess... lil weird sometimes, but then again, he fits in just right with the rest of us." Sakura laughed.

"You know he said something about how he wanted to know you better."

"What?" Sakura replied questioningly.

"He liked Syaoran, respected him... he never really made it into Syaoran's friend list, it took a lot of effort to get that close to mr. Serious, and Jin never had enough time to make it. I think he wants to know you better as a means of understanding the real Syaoran a bit more. And also, he likes you."

"You make it sound weird. Syaoran and I were lovers, but how could that help Jin know him any better?"

"You've met him, his magic makes him more receptive to impressions. I think he wants to see if by hanging around you, he'll figure out what it was that made you and Syaoran so close."

"You're sure he had only platonic feelings for Syaoran right?" she ribbed the young martial artist.

"He damn well better! I don't even want to begin thinking about how creepy that would be!" Sakura laughed as Meilin was thrown into histrionics that included everything from dry heaving to a very moving simulation of cardiac arrest. She had grown a lot nicer in the time that passed since childhood. She could be as serious as any of the Li clan, but also as funny as a stand up comedian - a comedian with a sword, but still a comedian-. 

Satisfied in making Sakura laugh, Meilin paused to catch her breath. Madison had once served as the provider of laughter in the group, but now she was an ocean away, and Meilin was forced to take up the call.

"You sound like Madison." Sakura smiled, unintentionally divining Meilin's thoughts.

"You miss her?"

"Yeah."

"Sakura?"

"Hmm?"

"Why did you have the clan cleanse her along with your family from the spell that makes them forget legacy? I thought you were looking to spare her some of the pain... what made you change your mind and have them take it off of her?" Sakura sighed and looked across the sea of mystic water.

"A few reasons: I missed her. she got a lot of her inspiration from our adventures, and without it she would lose some of her greatest ideas. And also..." Sakura paused as another phantom of radiant energy glided by her like a rainbow of a jellyfish in the open waters of a transparent sea. She wondered if she would ever grow accustom to this beauty.

"Something Syaoran told me... he said that destiny can't be chosen for someone. That you can only accept the decisions people make for their own futures. If I chose to have that part of her buried, I would be robbing her of her destiny. I'm sure it hurts, but it's her choice to remember."

"Syaoran said that?"

"Yeah... what's wrong?" she noticed that Meilin had an unnatural sadness to her eyes, even beyond that which would be due to the fact that he was gone.

"It's nothing I guess. It's just a little latent fixation. He wouldn't say something like that to anyone but you. Syaoran always hid so much, even in the end, he never spoke like that. He confided in me more then anyone else, but you could always tell that was just the surface stuff. But with you it wasn't like that, he really tried to give you everything he had, he didn't hold back anything. I guess I'm a little jealous still." she rubbed her arm self-consciously.

"But Jin?"

"Jin knows. I love him, but there's a place in my heart where Syaoran left. he understands that. Nothing can ever grow there... It makes me sad that I can never promise Jin my whole heart, but he is such a great guy he accepts that part of me. as I said, it's the last glimmer of obsession with him."

"Jin is a good man... but I understand you, Meilin. Syaoran is in a league all his own, there's no replacing that."

"Syaoran was a dream, I guess I still have the last lingering traces left in my heart... I guess we both do."

"You moved on at least, found someone to love, someone who will make you happy."

"You will too..."

"No."

"But Sakura..."

"This will be cruel Meilin, but you could never understand why. We touched spirits... his and mine, they became one. He's a part of me, so it's much more then just love. We're connected in a way that will never let me move on. I'm sure he'd want me to, but I can't with him still in here. I'm sorry. You were always insecure about your lack of magic, but for what it's worth, we're in the same boat now." Meilin nodded. She had known that there was a world that she could never be a part of since the beginni9ng of their shared adventures. And what had infuriated her most as a young girl was the knowledge that she could never share that world with Syaoran, or even Sakura. It was a place that only they could go. Over time she mellowed, and over time she learned to accept that they had their own world.

"You called Syaoran a dream, well he is for me too, Meilin. The only difference is that he is a dream I can never wake from." Meilin smiled in a quiet understanding that the former card-mistress was being completely honest; with both the young fighter, and herself. She reached out to Sakura and took hold of the pendent sword at her neck. Sakura hesitantly relinquished the ancestral sword to the girl, knowing that it was sacred to her also. She tested the pendant's weight in her hands and admired the silken blackness of the jewel. She caught her own reflection in it, a reflection that looked different in a way she couldn't understand completely. It was as though the mirrored surface reflected both the strength and the weakness in her. 

She took her eyes from the jewel and placed it back into Sakura's hand.

"I know what Syaoran's mother was asking you to do. I know that she wants you to let him go enough so that you stop torturing yourself... I think you should too." she smiled and began walking off, but not without uttering one final piece of her mind to the silent girl.

"You know... he may be a dream, but dreams don't have to fade when you wake up. If the dream is special enough, you'll always hold onto it."

Sakura looked off into the spectral horizon. The hues of the waters were matched in the shimmering of tears which ran down her face. she felt a pressure inside herself as she slowly let the tears fall. Lerae had said being matriarch meant not being trivial with tears, but Sakura cried now with abandon. She was not Lerae, and if she was to be matriarch, she must be true to her own heart. 

She closed her eyes as she held the pendent to her heart. Syaoran would want her to be strong, but not at the cost of her heart. She felt his touch as the tears streamed down her face. she had hidden in this dream, drinking deeply from twin cups: one of happiness. One of sorrow. The dream was claustrophobic to her, simultaneously giving her joy and misery, all in the name of Syaoran. She would force herself awake.

With a cry of desperation she flung the pendent off into the sky.

Meilin turned, feeling something strange. She gasped as her terra cotta eyes shimmered with the uncanny light that now rained down from the heavens. The beauty of this place was made beyond approach as sheets of silver lightning rained down from the sky with all the majesty of heaven. The still waters now churned with motion and life all around her as gravity seemed to loose some of its hold. Translucent pearls of liquid diamond floated amidst Meilin as if the rain were falling in reverse, and slowing.

Rivers of the water around them lifted away from the mother mass like the long craning necks of dragons, risen from the sleep of ages. These massive coils grew more luminous as they rose higher until they were actually liquid light. Meilin gasped in amazement as they shifted their monolithic girth and formed ornate helixes which built themselves into epic arches that erected themselves in ornate symbols, higher and higher. 

The skies shimmered for a heartbeat with a stratosphere of sapphire design so intricate that you couldn't perceive half of it. Then it vanished again into the strangely livid pink sky.

She looked over at Sakura and gasped as she saw that the sorceress stood atop the water now. Sakura's hair danced in lashing winds as her white and pink robes flapped like surrealist bird wings. The magic had awakened.

Sakura remained focused on the pendent as it flew through the sky. She couldn't look away as it continued its upward arc, somehow she had released her bonds and freed her magic. All that occurred to her as a possible reason was that she had allowed herself to release some of the pain inside her. the auras flooded back into her like a tidal wave, the magic of this place came crashing down on her as if she had been at the bottom of the ocean, and only now felt its pressure. It was overwhelming to feel so much all at once. For some reason she could not look away from the pendent. As she followed it she became aware of her whispering a plea in words she didn't understand uttering from her own lips. The strange mantra was accompanied by the feeling of something flowing out of her. could grief be shed so quickly and easily? More so, can you feel it as it flows from you?

The pendant hurtled to the zenith of its ascent, and as it hung there in that moment before gravity would pull it back to earth, it caught the light and flashed in Sakura's eyes; blinding her for that instant. When it began falling, it had been transformed. Where once there was an ornate pendent, now there plummeted the ancestral sword of Syaoran's people. The blade looked more prolific now as each ridge of engraving glinted a golden ochre in the ambient light. It spun as it fell, the flowing red tassel looking more like fire then frayed red threads in the fiery heavens. With each rotation the blade glinted in the light, becoming the embodiment of silver fire and lightning.

It fell to earth with such grace that it almost was poetic, Sakura didn't blink or deviate her stare from the revolving sword, as it was nearing a landing she would have bet anything it would land blade down in the ground, a majestic pose. She would lose that bet.

As the blade made it's final rotation toward the ground, it was suddenly halted as a single hand snatched it from the heavens. Time froze as Sakura watched the edged weapon lift horizontally with a grace that only came with experience. 

Her mouth fell open as a murmur of a name was expelled with breath. The magic of this place rippled and churned as the mystic cogs and wheels of this ancient magic began grinding back to life. The once serene seascape now was as alien and surreal as a Dali painting. The spires of livid water and crystalline light. Shifted like shadows before a setting sun, their perportunes twisting to the center of all the commotion.

The waters had converged on the figure which held the sword, enveloping and bubbling with motion as the radiance shifted to that one point. The phantoms of translucent color had multiplied from the sporadic wisp to a flock which glided through the air around the localization like spiraling staircase of rippling color. Bolts of silver lightning flashed through the turbulent sky as the water swirled upward like a waterspout of liquid and light. 

As a mirror image to the sea, the sky began dipping downward in swirling clouds that split the heavens as they danced with the water in a incomprehensible partnership that was humbling in it's magnificence. Bolts of lightning splashed across the heavens in a horizontal arc, yet they inspired no fear. In all likelihoods, this colossal awakening of this place would be enough to inspire pure terror on nothing more then the sheer magnitude of the magics which swirled against each other. but there was no fear. For as much power that was radiated, there was infinitely more benevolence. This change was wild, but to stand before it was something like touching pure goodness, as though good was a tangible thing that could be wrapped around you like a blanket. Sakura's tears changed from sorrow to joy.

The hymn sang across the panorama with new feeling, where once there was sorrow, now there was hope. That word had new meaning for Sakura since legacy. But for the first time since Syaoran's hand left hers, she felt hope. It was an irrational kind of hope, but she felt it charging through her blood faster then her heart could pump it. She felt every nerve in her body crackling with electricity and a strange, crazy kind of believe that the impossible was now possible, that the very nature of this cruel machine called reality was being remade around her. The hymn was no longer a whisper on distant winds, but a chorus sung from the peaks of heaven. It's senseless words were growing more familiar with each second, as was their source.

Hope... she was past pessimism now, she was sure that this epic moment was going to do something, something that would change the way she saw fate. The hymn was all around her now, louder and more pristine, she couldn't hear the roar of the water or the cracks of the thunder. All she heard was the words and the foreign, but edifying music. 

Lerae had turned and now watched in shock, she had gambled with fate to make Sakura matriarch, knowing the potential for both damnation and salvation were at hand. She was right. Sakura was the one that they had known of since their clan's beginnings. A child who did not divert magic's flow to their own end, but instead was one with it. Sakura glowed so brightly that to look upon her hurt the eyes and left a trembling in the soul. Lerae watched in awe as she witnessed the evolution of magic. As she looked at the seraphic image of Sakura, she was overwhelmed with hope. 

With a flash, all the swirling energies were drawn to the sword and the obscured hand which gripped it, bathed in the silver flames of this magic. The magics swirled around that core with spectacular motion.

Sakura looked up for a reason she could not understand. Overhead she saw them. the spirits of the Clow, bathed in golden light looked down on her. they were as they had been, not spirits depicted in mystic cards, but radiant ghosts of women who had found their peace in the place that waits beyond. Sakura fell to her knees and looked up to them. their beauty was preserved as it had been in life, the smiles Sakura had never seen until the end were preserved now, they smiled at their former mistress with love.

The hymn sang on, it's words an enigma, but radiant of newfound hope. Sakura then realized that the hymn was coming from her. with a flash of gold, the spirits of the Clow departed in a rain of amber sparkles which swept downward like a snowstorm.

And then in an instant, it was calm. The hymn had been silenced, and now, the only sound was that of a gentle trickle of water. The glowing pyrotechnics had subsided, leaving only the swirling pillar of water and the golden rainstorm.

From the waters, a figure emerged. His form was transparent as air at first, but then, as he separated from the column of crystalline water his form began to ripple into their range of vision. Sakura's tears shimmered like diamonds when she saw him. it was too good to be real, too incredible to be possible. He held the sword of the Li clan as he walked tword her. his steps were uneven and staggering, as if his progress was solely made on sheer will power. A stubborn will to push forward, to never relent or yield. Sakura didn't know when she started running, but she was soon sprinting forward. The water rippled under each footstep as she ran for him. 

"It's not possible....." Meilin gaped, but even as she whispered the words she was filled with an irrational premonition that it was possible. Sakura had brought him home. In the distance Lerae cried for the third time in all these many years. 

She was running as fast as she could, and the closer she got, the more she was filled with hope. His shirtless form was of the correct build... He wore the long baggy pants of his traditional battle garbs with the same sash. Sakura didn't know how she recognized that, but she did. His disheveled chestnut hair was just as it had always been, tousled in a boyish manner. She was close enough to see his face now, she no longer had doubts, it was him. his eyes shined with tears as he looked at her, as amazed to see her as she him. 

Sakura's arms were open as she launched herself at him. when they had said their goodbyes all those years ago, after the battle with the void card, she had jumped into his arms with total disregard for the possible fall. She had faith that he would always catch her then, and now she flew to him again.

It might have been another expression of this magical place, but time slowed as they met. The second loomed for an eternity as she fell into his arms and was snatched up. She found herself buried in his embrace, encircled in his arms with her head nestled against his bare shoulder.

Syaoran was both warm and solid. As she nuzzled his throat she felt his pulse against her lips. He was alive. He clung to her as tightly as she did him, the embrace was crushing, but not half so much as the sensations which bore down on them. Sakura knew she was crying, but was surprised to feel his tears as they impacted on her cheek and rolled down to her lips.

"Sakura...." he whimpered into her hair, not relenting in his grip on her as though she would slip away through his fingers. As he had with her. Time passed, but how much remained unknown.

"It's you?"

she pulled back half an inch and reached out to touch his cheek. She gently caressed his face, studying each feature.

"How?"

"I don't know exactly. Everything got hazy after I was sealed. I don't remember much, just that I knew I couldn't leave you..." he smiled softly as he swayed for a moment, then righted himself. he was still so weak.

"Is this real? How can it be? You... died. The women from Clow's village didn't come back, did they?"

"Don't be pathetic Sakura." he smiled sleepily. "They had somewhere they needed to be. Their place wasn't here anymore. But my place was with you... my place has always been with you." his words were soft, trembling. Sakura didn't realize that she was still touching him. she was caressing his face as though she were blind, and this was the only way to see him. He didn't protest though, in fact he even moved to meet her touches, savoring their contact. Syaoran was at peace now, he had made real his dream: he had finally found her. He needed her all his life, and now that he felt her tender caresses he knew that he would never lose her again.

His eyes slowly drooped shut, and with a soft smile, he fell forward into her arms, asleep. The two slumped together, his head against her breast as she stroked his hair. She held him to her as he snored softly. He didn't need to keep his defenses up around her, with Sakura he could be vulnerable, and never have to fear that he would be hurt. She had been blessed with a life he had dreamed of: love and warmth. And now she held him, having healed his heart and restored his faith. Sakura was his equal, and his savior. She was his hope.

The radiant magics faded away to their original splendor. The great spire of water slowly melted down, turning once again into an endless horizon of water, painted in the reds and pinks of sunset.

As the last shimmering embers of gold rained down, she lowered her lips to his and kissed him. she heard the hymn inside her own heart, and for the first time, understood. 

It was finally time to live.

  


Time passed and answers were never truly found. Some said that Sakura had been the one to bring him back, others that the act was of Syaoran's doing, others still claimed that it was the last gift of the Clow to their former captors. Sakura didn't guess, she was content.

But somehow she suspected that the force that restored her love to her was far beyond such conjectures. She had touched the heart of magic when she had thrown the sword to the heavens, and maybe, in that single instant her plea had been heard. She had felt something for an instant when it transformed... 

A presence of something far greater then anything she had ever known. She didn't know wether it was the heart of magic, or the heart of God... or, perhaps one in the same.

  


*********************

  
  
  


Sakura stood on the silvery beach, littered with the ancient markers of dragons and spells. Her hair glided gently on the ocean winds and she smiled to the horizon, tword japan. She had been born there, and in a way still lived there. She had two homes now, two places she belonged.

Her brother, father, Julian, and Madison had come to the clan a few days ago. They would be staying for a few months. They were all amazed by Sakura's change just as much as by Syaoran's resurrection.

The revival of their cherished future leader was enough to silence every word against the future matriarch. those who had sang out calls for banishment now praised her with far more enthusiasm then their former call. There was even a good-natured joke about her being the kindest necromancer in the history of their clan. 

As proof of the greatness of these people, they were quick to accept the apparent truth that death was not absolute. And that against a strong will, all things were negotiable. Just another example of the spirit of the Li clan, acceptance of the astonishing, and the readiness to believe the unimaginable. 

Syaoran returned a year older, but with a magic that rivaled Sakura's new bound forward. Touching the fabric of what lays beyond life had left a mark on him, one that even Sakura couldn't fully understand. He also bore lingering traces of the power of the hope card, latent, but there... He didn't speak of this new faculty in his magics, only that he couldn't understand it yet. It was possible that the memory would gradually return to him over the years, but such thought was only speculation. They were happy to have him back, and all of them were stunned to feel his new power. It was now apparent that both Sakura and Syaoran, when united, had enough mystical force to unleash magics capable of destroying the world, or saving it. 

There was no spell or summoning that was beyond them, and thus, should they choose, they could unleash Armageddon just as easily as any crazed warlock with a yearning for death on a global scale. In the past, those with the greatest power were corrupted by it, and thus drawn into battle against the weaker, but more determined, forces of good. Never before had the side of light known such power, and assuming that Sakura and Syaoran were not lost in it, never had it known such possibilities. 

There is a jinx that great power draws great adversity... repeated again in the various philosophies that state that there must be a balance between good and evil. such things were frightening, for the possibility that a power would arise which could match the good in Syaoran and Sakura with a equal, unnamed foe were all too possible.

It had been hoped that the coming of the great sorceress or sorcerer would herald an age of benevolence beyond compare... while the coming of the one, or ones, was still unsure; it was clear that there was still a potential for the dark destiny in which magic would either be lost, or be corrupted to a form of limitless evil.

These years were vital to either side, and now the clan's mission was never more clear. Syaoran and Sakura had to prepare a world and a people for the return of magic, or the coming of something evil to balance the scales away from good. This would be a slow undertaking, but Syaoran knew that if the clan didn't start now, it might never get the chance. His task, above all others was to get the Li clan to begin the work that would take generations at best. 

They would begin taking in every child born with the gift and offering training. Gradually turning a dying sect of humanity into an army of sorcerers who would thus spread the gift, and further the cause. Slowly, over the corse of generations, magic would spread. This would be the ideal method; assimilation was much preferable to conflict. 

The second objective was to neutralize the possible evil that would grow to fill the gap. The clan would have to protect this fledgling species if it was to have a chance. Two very big undertakings were at hand, and Syaoran knew it would take every bit of power he possessed to set the ball rolling. But for the moment he had to look past the big picture in favor of the smaller one. Though to him, the smaller steps were far more important.

Syaoran had assumed the leadership of his clan. The council had been dissolved as per the vow he made to Meilin on this very beach so long ago. And with him, Sakura was named matriarch. The people said that the pair would be the rebirth of the clan, and there were whispers of prophecy that they might also herald the rebirth of magic. It was generally agreed upon that magic would prosper under Syaoran's strength and Sakura's kindness, regardless of if the two were destined to be the ones to restore magic or not.

Sakura lay a hand on her swollen stomach with a little groan as their unborn child kicked with so much force that Sakura wondered if Meilin had discovered a way to train from beyond the womb. The baby had an aura already, the magic that it radiated was already impressive by adult standards, who could guess what would develop over time. Under the reformed Li clan the child would grow up. It would be a hard life; the life of a future leader of the clan would never be otherwise, but this child would have a choice that Syaoran had insured.

Syaoran stood behind her, watching. He had not announced his presence for it would be pointless. She sensed him as he sensed her: both near, and inside. Kero lay curled up on her shoulder. He was either asleep or uncharacteristically quiet as he hung close to his former mistress.

Sakura thought over the years and their shared adventures, even though the adventures were nowhere near done. As leaders, their actions were their own. they would go off on various missions which ranged from diplomacy to the seeking out of those in possession of magic who needed guidance. In their absence Lerae would maintain the clan. 

Becoming pregnant was almost as much a frustration as it was a joy. Sakura hadn't been idle so long in two years. Syaoran refused to accept any errand for either magic or politician until Sakura had given birth, and even then he wanted to slowly return to action, and preferably where they could bring their child along.

This attitude infuriated the "gentle" sorceress. Especially since she couldn't even get angry at him when he was being so kind and protective of both her and their child. She secretly suspected that he invited her brother just so he would have backup when trying to keep her away from the dojo or the helipad. "He all but forbids me from walking!" She often grumbled. But even then, she found it sweet in a way. 

Thankfully she would be due in just under a month, then she would have something to take her mind off being confined like this. She smiled over the idea of looking upon her child... seeing Syaoran hold them. they had so many adventures, but by far this one would be the greatest, and most rewarding.

Syaoran sensed a need in her, and without a word, wrapped his arms around her from behind. His hands instinctively found her stomach where they remained.

"What are you thinking about love?"

"Lots of things, but nothing in particular. What were you thinking about?"

"Our baby. It doesn't seem real? We're on the verge of being parents. 

It makes me wonder what kind of world we are making... It's possible that the secret about magic will be out by then... it's possible there will be people who will hate our baby because they will have a lot of power. And if not hate, there will certainly be those who are afraid... will our child grow up and find someone who understands what they are, and accepts them for it? Being this powerful I mean."

"I think so... You were scary, but I still loved you." she smiled.

"I hope..."

"You worry too much, you know that?"

"It's my job, you're the optimist in this team." he smirked.

"Yeah, well you've rubbed off on me." she quipped as she reached over and touched his face. 

He was quiet for a moment, lost in thoughts she couldn't divine as easily as she could the shadows of the future. He finally spoke, but softer then he usually did.

"Will I be a good father? I've never had a father I can remember... I'm scared that I'll be bad at it..." Sakura turned to him, her eyes softer then the pastel clouds which swept across the azure heavens. He was speaking to her now as he would never be able to speak to another, his voice was childishly innocent, even more then when she first met him. he was vulnerable with her. she smiled at him, encouraged that he was like this with her.

"I have a dad, Syaoran. I have the best dad. Trust me when I say that you will be great. You both share some of his best qualities."

"But I'm leader of the clan, I will always be busy doing something, kids won't understand that. I didn't when I was young."he trailed off in a soft pout, thinking back over a cold childhood.

"Well you won't be in it alone. Our baby is never going to have it as hard as you did. They are never going to have to face what you faced all by yourself. Between the two of us, they will always have someone. They'll be happy, they'll always know they are loved, Syaoran. I promise." he was moved near tears by her words. Words and the promise that his child would know a kind of happiness that he was always denied as a boy.

"I love you so much Sakura."

"I love you too Syaoran."

  


"Is it lunch time yet?"

"Shut up Kero."

Once upon a time there was a very ordinary girl. She uncovered a magic book and discovered a magical world where she met a young sorcerer who would become her partner in a great adventure. One day she found that her whole world had changed, she was no longer an ordinary girl, and in all truth, she never was.

The world was changing around them, and there soon would come a day when mankind would be faced with the greatest adventure it has ever faced. It would be hard, impossible for some, since the return of magic would bring about an awareness that all people are connected in a irrefutable way. A revelation that shakes the soul, and in some, could shake it apart.

The future was uncertain, but thankfully Sakura and Syaoran would start a legacy that would reach far into the future, for theirs was a legacy of hope.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


A legacy is forged this night, 

a legacy beyond our sight.

Born of our wrongs and of our rights,

it is born on this cold night.

  


Is our legacy a blight,

born of our sins in this mortal plight?

Will this creation be dark or light?

This thing we've bred into the night...

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


The end

for now...


End file.
